Random Scraps

New Products and Designer Call!

2011-01-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

First off, I have a couple new products in my stores:

"Shades of . . ." is a whole new line of paper packs that consist of textured/patterned papers in multiple shades of the same color. Some of the patterns will be the same in each paper pack and some will be unique to a single paper pack. You can buy them at MooTwo and Sunflower Scraps.

MooTwo is having a designer call!

We are looking for talented new or experienced designers to join our store.
* No setup fees
* Competitive commissions
* Reasonable kit requirements
* In-house advertising provided
* Mentoring programme and QC available
Whatever your design style, we would love to see your designs. Apply via the store application or e-mail your application to: admin@mootwodesigns.com

Halloween Events at Moo Two!

2010-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do over Halloween?

We are having a fun filled, wacky weekend of games here at Moo Two starting Saturday 30th October and ending Sunday 31st October.

Massive Store Sale; Blog Train; Scary Bingo ; SpeedScraps; Headhunter's Delight; Guess Who; Trick or Treat Hunt; Halloween Recipe Challenge.

and loads more.....

* * * * * *

Mega Halloween Store Sale

Don't miss the fantastic store sale at Moo Two Designs

Two days Only

75 % off

* * * * * *

Come on over for a wild ride on the Moo Two Blog Train!

Wonderful free gifts to be had

Starts on the Moo Two Blog - Saturday 30th October, 2010

You Don't Want to Miss This One!

Woo Hoooo!

2010-10-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it to round 3 of the Studio's designer contest, and even though I didn't continue on I feel it's a victory of sorts- it's the furthest I've gone in that store's contest and I got plenty of experience and great tips. :)

While I was still in that contest, I entered another one at Moo Two Designs. I had a lot of fun with that contest too, flexing those creative muscles! It ended Sunday, and after waiting on pins and needles, I found out that I'd won 4th place and a designer contract! I am super excited!!! My store's empty now, but hopefully I'll get time in the next few days to load it up, and maybe with some new things too! :) Swing on by and check it out in a few days!

Digital Scrapbooking Studio Contest!

2010-09-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Digital Scrapbooking Studio, aka, theStudio, is holding a designer contest, and I am participating! Now, I can't reveal who I am or what I create, but I can share a whole gallery of free downloads for you!

For the first round, we've created coordinating minikits with the theme "Summer Harvest." I've seen some gorgeous work in there! If you register, you can vote and participate in theStudio's Birthday Bash fun & games. :) Drop by and check it out today!

WOW!

2010-07-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a looooooong while since I last posted and even created any products! Gone through a couple of different stores too. BUT I am back!

This is my newest kit, Land of the Free:

It's something I've had in the works for a couple of years- vintage colors and patriotic as can be! 10 papers, 1 complete alpha, 17 chipboard word pieces that spell out words to a couple patriotic songs, 4 glittery firework bursts . . . those are just the highlights!

And this is the add-on extra alpha- its letter designs are the reverse of the ones in the kit (striped "A" and starred "B" in here, starred "A" and striped "B" in the kit.)

Both are now available in my Sunflower Scraps store! :)

QP for you!

2009-09-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today I made a free quickpage for you, from my free minikit Elegant Earth Tones!

Snag the minikit HERE at SAS. PLEASE don't forget to vote for me on THIS thread in the SAS forums (you'll have to register first if you're not a member there). Voting ends midnight EST September 9th. And here is the quickpage and a layout I made with it:

My DD meeting Princess Jasmine at Disneyland last May. :)

Go HERE to snag the QP!

SAS-y Lady, part 2- OOPS!

2009-09-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I'd forgotten to include 1 element in my zip!

The zip has been modified to include it, so be sure to go back to SAS to download it!

Next SAS-y Lady?

2009-09-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

I am back in the Stone Accent Studios (SAS) SAS-y Lady designer competition! I'm hoping to make it through without Photoshop crashing (like it did last year). :) The first round is nearly over, and I've finished my freebie minikit contribution:

We had some really elegant colors to work with! So pretty! Here's some detail:

To download, visit the gallery at Stone Accent Studios HERE.

Don't forget to browse the gallery to collect the other matching minikits!

What I've been doing

2009-08-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

OK so it's been a couple of months since I posted. I haven't been kicking around on the beach drinking mai tais, LOL. I've been working on different projects here and there, mostly for future collabs at Haven Designz and Creative Scraps. Some fab-u-lous goodies coming up for autumn!

I thought I'd show you something I've been working on for myself on and off as I get breaks from chauffeur-ing, visiting and school-supply shopping:

I haven't decided on a name yet, only it has to do with my daughter Hannah's personality (that's her in the top photo). She loves flowers, strawberries and all these colors. And she's a bright and active 5-year-old who just started kindergarten:

LOVE that girl!

New Kit and a Sale!

2009-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

First off, here's my new kit- a spin off of a freebie I made last fall, Nearly Summer:

Perfect for those warm days when it's not quite summer yet but you're out at the beach playing in the sand. I've got plenty of those pix hanging around my hard drive, lemme tell ya! it's available at Creative Scraps Store and Havens Designz DigiScraps. (Shadows on preview only)

SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE!!!
Tomorrow, June 17th, is the first day of the Creative Scraps Store $1.00 sale! Everything in the store will be $1.00!! There are plenty of full- and tagger-sized kits to choose from, as well as commercial use items. Drop on by and check it out!

Creative Scraps Store Easter Countdown!

2009-04-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Stop by Creative Scraps Store and grab an Easter freebie every day until Good Friday! All pieces coordinate. Here's my part:

I have new products there as well:

I've created 28 different shamrocks for you to dress up your pages, tags or kits with. Commercial Use OK! Individual elements in .PNG format. These are extremely detailed pieces great for use in any size page.

Romance is in the air with these beautifully textured papers and elegant elements. Perfect for the love in your life or formal events, this kit can deliver. Includes 14 textured papers and 40 elements. Tagger size may include extra elements! (some elements resized for preview; drop shadows on preview only). Strawberries & Champagne is in full AND tagger sizes!

Thanks for looking! :)

Creative Scraps Sales!

2009-03-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

First one is the best- Dollar Days are baaaaack! Everything you see will be $1!!!

This one continues on:

And here's my latest, Strawberries and Champagne:

Shadows only on preview, and some elements were resized for preview. This lovely full-size kit is perfect for Valentines, weddings, proms, and other formal events. It contains 54 pieces, 14 papers and 40 elements. And it's included in the sales at Creative Scraps Store!

Swing on by tomorrow for some GREAT deals! :)

Twisted Collab- Birthday Party

2009-03-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Time for another free Twisted Collaboration kit! Here's my preview:

Drop shadow only on preview and not all elements shown. Download HERE.

Be sure to pick up all the other pieces of this FUN collab kit! Visit the following blogs- and if they're not up yet, be sure to go back later to check. ;)

Soto Creations

MoveFearlessly Designs

Outback Dezigns

AJ's Random Scraps <------ YOU ARE HERE

Lizard Dau Designs

Blind Sight Designs

Moo's Scrap Designs

SandEz Creationz

Berek

Supersuzi

Damc

Valentine Convoy is NOW!

2009-02-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

It's time for another fabulous convoy freebie, and here's my piece of it:

Download HERE.

Be sure to visit the rest of my cohorts' blogs and collect the rest of the pieces- they are spectacular! And if they haven't posted yet, please remember to check back at a later time. :)

01 - PinkuPixie Digital Designs

02 - Elemental Pixie

03 - Moo's Scraps

04 - Candys Treasures

05 - Bits N Bobs

06 - Angi's Place

07 - Created by Jill

08 - Supersuzi

09 - Digi Cyber Scraps

10 - Moonlight Scraps

11 - Foxylady Creations

12 - Scrapping with Jen

13 - BlueVelvet DeZigns

14 - EA-Gra-Fx by Endora Aphrattos

15 - Moodz Scrapz

16 - AJ's Random Scraps <----- YOU ARE HERE

17 - MoveFearlessly Designs

18 - Capture Life Designs

19 - PDDesigns

20 - WillowRaven at Purple Dragonfly Creations

21 - Bel Vidotti Scraps

22 - Outback Dezigns

23 - Willow Grace Designs

24 - Eye Opening Designs

25 - Outlaw Women Scrapbook Emporium

26 - Dream Effectz

27 - damc

28 - tinkerbell

29 - Donna's Designs

30 - Designs by Teri~

31 - TammyJo's Creations

32 - Kolor'Scapez!

33 - THE HUB

First Twisted Collab!

2009-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

What's a twisted collab? A collaboration kit put together by several designers across the world and managed by my friend Twisted Scrapper.

This first collab is titled Dream Vacation- it represents the creators' vision of their dream vacations LOL. And all parts are free! :)

(Drop shadows on preview only)

Get my piece HERE. And don't forget to visit the blogs of the other creators:

SotoCreations - http://twistedscrapper.blogspot.com/

Curtisam Creations - http://curtisamcreations.blogspot.com/

DesignZ by DeDe - http://designzbydede.blogspot.com

Lizard Dau Designs - http://liz-lizarddaudesigns.blogspot.com/

Moo's Scrap Designs - http://mooscrapworld.blogspot.com

Outback dezigns - http://outbackdezignsdigiscrap.blogspot.com/

MoveFearlessly Designs - http://movefearlessly.com/blog

Supersuzi - http://supersuziscraps.blogspot.com/

AJ’s Random Scraps - http://ajsrandomscraps.blogspot.com/ <----- You are here

Designs by damc - http://debscrapbooks.blogspot.com

SandEz Creationz - http://sandezcreationz.blogspot.com

Enjoy! And come back for more later. :)

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

While it's not 2009 yet here, I wanted to give a little gift I've been promising since I first uploaded my kit New Year- wineglass charms with 2009! So if you've got my kit or any of its parts, here's my little present to you!

Grab HERE.

Here's the full-sized kit, available at Creative Scraps and Haven Designz.

And in case you missed it, here's the freebie addon.

Snag it in my post HERE.

If you can stand more surprises, Twisted Scrapper has a Quick Page made with New Year on her blog HERE.

Studio Style Designs- Progressive Sale!

2008-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Studio Style Designs is running a progressive sale this holiday season. What's a progressive sale, you ask? Well, it goes like this:

1st week til Dec 14 55% off
2nd week til Dec 20 50% off
3rd week til Dec 27 45% off
4th week til Jan 3 40% off

BUY now and save --- Each week the sales will decrease.

Coming soon to SSD is my Christmas kit, My Funky Christmas:

(shadows on preview only- some elements resized for preview)

And my New Year's Kit which is up and ready in the store!

This preview shows 2008 wineglass charms, but I'll have 2009 wineglass charms up here on my blog- for no cost- within a week! So check back soon! :)

25 Days of Christmas!

2008-12-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

Would you like even more free Christmas goodies? Visit the Creative Scraps Store every day through December 26th for a FREE piece of a coordinating mega kit!

Don't forget the Christmas Convoy is still going on! My contribution is in the next post. :)

Christmas Convoy Taking Off!!!!!!

2008-11-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

It's time for Christmas Convoy 2008 to get going! Here's my part of it (not all elements are shown, drop shadows on preview only):

Download 1
Download 2
Download 3

Everything in every designers' kit matches what's in mine, and it's all free! You can get this super mega kit by following the links below. Please remember that not all participants are in the same time zone, so if someone's not posted yet, check back later. :) Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

SotoCreations
CurtisamCreations
WillowRaven
Kez Creates
The Queen and the Princess Designs
Carolyn at Digi Cyber Scraps
DesignZ by DeDe
Scrapz By Christon
mITSYBELLE
CuddleBeez Scraps
Lizard Dau Designs
Outback Dezigns
CandysTreasures
Gemini Creationz
Reeces Pieces Scraps
LouCee Creations
Crafted by Gina
Twisted Angel
MIP Scraps
PinkuPixie Digital Designs
Shawn Walter
Moodz Scrapz
Bits N Bobs
Kolor Scapez
damc
Debee Dezines
JIC Creations
Kcscrapper (Kathy Count)
MoveFearlessly Designs
MoonBeam's Creations
Scrapping With Jen
AJ’s Random Scraps <----- You are here
Designs by Amilyn
KayJay
Blind Sight Designs
Hummie
Foxylady Creations
Idgie's Heartsong
Saskia / Supersuzi
QueenBrat Designs
Donna's Designs
Doreen
TammyJo's Creations
Angi's Place

Beautiful Charity Kit

2008-11-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

I recently had a chance to create a small portion of a huge megakit for a friend & coworker, Jillann. She's had a relapse of her cancer, Non-Hodgekin's Lymphoma. Her story can be found HERE.

Now for the beautiful previews!

This is my portion:

Some of the papers:

Some of the elements:

* These previews don't even begin to show everything that's in this wonderful kit! There are almost 2GB's full of goodies!
* All full size 12x12 and 300 DPI.
* The cost of this kit is only $5 and all proceeds will go directly to Jillann to help cover her medical expenses.
* You will have a full 30 days download this kit.
* The kit can be purchased HERE
* Oh and you can grab a blinkie to add to your emails for Jillann HERE

*Designers who contributed this amazing kit*
Yvette
Jamies Creations
Nancy & Shirley Roberts
Moonlight Scraps
Christina (M&M)
Ane Jones
Maggie
Justine Hartline
Diana Miller
Patty
Lissa
Kimberly Cameron
Therese
Karen W
Sword A Scrappin
Kimberly.3D
JoanPipp
Missy
Sharon Becker
Cinnamon Scraps
Arty-Pharty
DMK Designs
Vix
Clarey
Aquarius Design
Gina
Wimpychompers
Kelly
Tracy Did It!
Melinda
MoonBeam's Creations
Faithful Designs by Kara
Helly
Scrappin Mommy
Michelle Guerra
Tracy Drane
Just A Girl Designs
Paula's Creative Scrapbooking
Sophisticated Scraps
Soxsational Scraps
Cari
Nadine
Patricia Hodge
Graphic Addict
KC's Scrappin Sanctuary

Lots of Stuff!

2008-10-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

First off, I've received an award! My first ever LOL!

It was given to me by Soto of Twisted Scrapper.

This award is called the "Proximidade Award" or "Friendship Around the World Award". Originally, this award was written in Spanish, but it translates to highlight Blogs that are pleasing or special in some way and also to extend the hand of friendship around the world. Now, It is my turn to pass this award on to 8 Blogs.

1- Michelle Pieters
2- Connie Prince aka DigiDiva
3- Chris Beasley aka Seebee
4- Emma aka Eyelets Scraps
5- Kristie Bruin
6- Linda Cutshall
7- Idgie
8- Vickie

That was a lot easier than I thought it would be! :)

I've joined another store Digi Scraps -N- More! I've yet to upload any products there, but I will as soon as I can, in between all the Christmas kits I've been working on.

Speaking of Christmas kits, Creative Scraps is having another All $1 Kits day this Saturday in honor of Digital Scrapbooking Day! The November Collab Kit, Antique Christmas, will be up then (and if not then, soon). Woo hoo!!! Stop on by, and maybe I'll have a little something new in there. :)

I've joined the Christmas Convoy! A whole caravan of designers have hopped on board to give everyone free Christmas goodies starting December 1st. I'll have mine posted here, along with a list of blogs where you can snag the others. :)

OK I think I'm all announced out for now! Catch ya on the flip side!

Creative Scraps Sale!

2008-10-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

ALL kits at Creative Scraps will be on sale for $1!!! This is only for 1 day so hurry over before you miss out!!

Sale is Tuesday the 21st!!

Stop by TODAY to check it out, because tomorrow it will be GONE!

New at Haven Designz!

2008-10-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yes! I finally completed my projects for fall! It's my favorite season and I wanted to do right by it. LOL! I'm just excited to be creating again, can you tell? :)

Here's a paper pack I call Autumn Treasures. I love the textures I captured with my camera:

And some fantastically real Autumn Leaves. Can you say "crunch?":

I haven't forgotten Halloween! It's almost my favorite holiday. Cute embellishments in a variety of styles (not all are shown here):

Drop on by my store at Haven Designz to check them out! (Drop shadows on previews only)

New Look, New Stores!

2008-10-06T17:28:00.002-07:00

A few days ago I decided to change the look of my blog- so much was getting lost in the old template's background. After searching for hours, I found this gorgeous one that fits my needs! Thank you anniebluesky! The link to her blog and templates is at the very bottom of this page.

One thing holding me back from posting was a few computer crashes. Yes, this new machine of mine crashed at least twice last month, leaving me frustrated. Thanks to a smart repair dude, I have a new video card- the old one was the source of my problem, grrrr. Because of my stinky video card, I had to drop out of the SAS designer contest. Oh well, there's always last year, and the winners of the contest are talented indeed!

I have joined 2 new stores! One is Creative Scraps and the other is Haven Designz DigiScraps. They are both tremendously fun places and feature lots of talented ladies! Check them out!

And yes, I do have new products coming out soon! It's not the designing I get hung up on, but the organizing for the various stores LOL! Will post previews as soon as I can :)

Like Alphas?

2008-09-09T16:59:00.012-07:00

I created an freebie alphabet to coordinate with my "Land of the Free" minikit below! All letters are included- the patterns alternate (A, C, E, etc. stars; B, C, D, etc. stripes).

Download HERE.

If you like it, please consider visiting Stone Accents Studio and snagging the kit. :D

Exciting Happenings!

2008-09-08T16:03:00.003-07:00

I'm still unpacking boxes, but I've been busy trying to catch up in the digiscrapping world. I've decided to join in the annual "Next SAS-y Lady" Contest going on on over at Stone Accents Studios. I've uploaded my week 1 entry:
(not all elements shown)

Visit the gallery HERE at SAS to download my freebie entry and vote for me to move on to the next round. While you're there, snag the other entries as well! Thanks! :)

I'm also moving into some new stores, and will post those soon. Yay!

Wowsers!

2008-08-28T17:13:00.004-07:00

It's been flippin' ages since I posted or even felt like it. Moving kinda took most of my energy, when I had internet access. :P I'm close to being settled into my new home:

It's nice and big and ours for 9 months- then we have to move again, but in the local area.

I've been working a few new projects, but nothing's in my store yet. Oh yeah, Erika's Digital Scrapbook has closed so for now I'm exclusive to Studio Style Designs. Speaking of SSD, there is a FABULOUS sale going on over there this weekend:

Pop on over and check it out!

This is a cool little doodad I found one day while surfing:

I don't remember what website I found it on, but it takes your name and spells it out with pictures of letters found on signs, etc. Like the "P" is from the Caesar's Palace sign in Las Vegas. Very cool!

And with that, I leave you for now. ;)

I'm slowly going nuts . . .

2008-07-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

Well in about 36 hours we'll leave for our month-long odyessey across the country! AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!! Who knows when my next blog post will be?

To compound my mood, my father-in-law sent me the following by e-mail:

BATHROOM PAINTED FLOOR

*IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY on the tenth floor....*

*YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING......* *(not that you would...)*

*AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM... *

*You open the door.... **

NOW, REMEMBER,* *THE FLOOR IS JUST* *! A PAINTED FLOOR!**

KINDA TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY....* *DOESN'T IT?*

Scroll sloooooooowly.....

This would mess your mind up! (ummmmmmmmmm yeah!)

I am happy to report that I *will* have 2 new products in my store at Studio Style Designs! Hopefully I can get over there and get them uploaded before I have to pack up my desktop. :) I'll be back with my fabulous previews!

And speaking of SSD, we're celebrating the 1-year Anniversary and Grand ReOpening! Look for fun and freebies the ENTIRE month of July!!! :) Pop on over and get 'em while the getting's good, LOL!

Where has the time gone?

2008-06-13T14:09:00.002-07:00

It seems like 2 days ago I found out I'd be moving this summer, then yesterday that I'd definitely be moving and now moving is nearly upon me! Next week my life will get packed up and trucked out. Usually I'm present for this (like the last 5 times) but this year I'll be camping with young women from my church! Cool eh? DH and oldest DS will get to watch the packers to make sure they don't stack bowls without cushioning or box up the trash (this does happen LOL!). I'll sure miss my computer, but I'll have it for a couple more weeks before I have to pack it in my car. :)

I have a couple of new kits out, but not in the stores yet. ;) I've put a coordinating freebie for 1 in an earlier blog post, since it's a variation on the original kit- go HERE to see it. :)

Ooopsie!

2008-05-23T19:30:00.002-07:00

It's been so very long since I've had time to post, and May has just flown by! In a few short weeks we'll be moving! :O I'm excited and a little nervous. :P I will not get to create beautiful pages or design for over a month! Will I survive? LOL!

Just for some fun, and because I saw it on a blog somewhere, I went over to Blogthings and took a quiz. If it makes you laugh, then my day is complete. :)

You Are Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

You take the title "mad scientist" to the extreme -with very scary things coming out of your lab.

And you've invented some pretty cool things, from a banana sharpener to a robot politician.

But while you're busy turning gold into cottage cheese, you need to watch out for poor little Beaker!

"Oh, that's very naughty, Beaker! Now you eat these paper clips this minute."

The Muppet Personality Test

Just Cuz

2008-05-11T16:29:00.006-07:00

Anyone else out there struggle with balancing yor life? That's my #1 difficulty. :P While I'm sorting through my priorities, I thought I'd offer this for y'all:

It's a freebie sample of my Flowers & Chocolate kit. Get it from 4Shared HERE. The full kit can be found at Erika's Digital Scrapbook (link above).

And what the heck, I lost out in another designer contest, but that's ok! At least there's another great freebie for you! I call it Nearly Summer:

I may eventually expand this into a full kit. :) Go HERE to snag it. It's got 3 papers, 2 tags, 2 ricrac pieces, an ornament, and a button.

And I know it's late, but Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!! :)

My New Store!

2008-05-01T12:46:00.003-07:00

I've just opened my new store at Studio Style Designs! It's a great place even if it's undergoing renovation! The Grand Reopening will be May 9th, so watch for that- I'm sure there will be surprises in store!

Speaking of surprises, we have a few in store at Erika's Digital Scrapbook this weekend! We're holding several challenges to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day- I'm hosting the ad (scraplift) challenge. In the store, several designers (including me) are holding 50% off sales, and there's a beautiful new collab kit:

I have a brand new kit in the store too! It's called Flowers and Chocolate- perfect for spring weddings or Mother's Day:

Thanks for looking! :)

NEW at Erkia's Digital Scrapbook

2008-04-24T11:25:00.003-07:00

Come on by EDS today! Erika's got a FAB new forum set up, with games and challenges. For National Scrapbook Day we'll have some extra goodies as game prizes and a beautiful new collab kit on sale! Many designers will be having 50% off sales as well, so be sure to stop by on May 3rd!

I've spiffed up Angel Baby with new paper and complete bead alphas, as well as a couple more ribbon wraps (not all elements show & drop shadows are on preview only):

Here's a preview of the coordinating freebie (drop shadows on preview only):

Grab it HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sooooooooo sorry! :(

2008-04-20T19:47:00.003-07:00

I didn't realize I'd password protected the link for Mod Spring Freebie. :(

I'll have to upload the whole kit to my new store and set up a coupon for it as an extra apology.

Here's a preview of the freebie:

And a new link HERE.

New Release!

2008-04-10T11:32:00.004-07:00

I have a secret source for color and design inspiration. :) Browsing through that place one day brought me this:

It's called Mod Spring! Perfect for flashy flower pix or the diva in your life! The bling word art and frames can be easily recolored. I've included a couple of new elements I've seen around- sequin flowers, loopy brads, and puckered ribbons. The ribbons fit right over the loopy brads for a threaded look. Visit my store for a closer look. (drop shadows are for preview only and not all elements are shown)

And now a coordinating freebie for you! Get it HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

New in My Store

2008-04-09T18:55:00.001-07:00

Hey ya'll! I added a few new items to my store last week, then went out of town before I could post previews here, LOL! So here they are (drop shadows only on previews and not all elements shown):

True Love (formerly known as Valentine or something like that LOL):

Lily:

Template Pack 3:

Freebie Samplers are posted under my "Freebies" section (scroll down on the R). They have some different items from the old freebies. :) Enjoy!

Thoughts to Think

2008-04-08T13:44:00.002-07:00

Three Things to Ponder:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

THE CONSTITUTION
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:

You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

It's Official!!!

2008-03-28T12:36:00.005-07:00

I now have my very own store at Erika's Digital Scrapbook! I officially sell my own digital designs. :) Maybe it's just a huge lack of self-esteem on my part, but I never thought I'd be good enough to sell my designs. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. So if you're familiar with my work as freebie designer or are just curious, please check out MY STORE

There are only 3 items now, but I plan to add several more in the coming week, so check back often! Here they are:

Template Pack 1

Template Pack 2

Cherry Blossom- with new/different elements not found in the original freebie!

A Cherry Blossom freebie sampler! It features a new pearl and paper not found in the old freebie.

Grab it HERE.

Thanks for looking!!!

A new adventure!

2008-03-25T18:30:00.004-07:00

I've got to get here more than once a week, or once every 2 weeks. I'll have a very good excuse soon!

Lately I have been busy getting this 'n' that together for my new adventure, but I won't announce it yet. I have to "get official" first. In the meantime, there will be a few changes around here, mostly unnoticable unless you're really looking. So in the meantime, how about a couple of digi pages?

March I'm a guest CT for Connie Prince! Find the kit below at her stores at Gotta Pixel and Divine Digital.

Even when she was really young, DD enjoyed going out and doing things. But the beach had her stumped! As long as she got enough attentions, she had it made in the shade. I used Connie Prince’s So Everything kit and one of her Cluster Frames.

My DD first started walking the day before she turned 9 months old. I think she was crawling here because that driveway was sloped and uneven. I used Pillowgirl’s Believe in Fairies kit and a template by Yin.

Emma Moore is baaaaaack! See this kit at Faith Sisters or Scrapstreet.

DD is getting really savvy about hunting eggs! Or maybe it’s because the hiders didn’t really hide them for the 4-and-under set. LOL! I used Emma Moore’s Undying Love kit, frames by Kim B and an action by Atomic Cupcake.

Time for Some Laughs

2008-03-11T10:25:00.003-07:00

It's been a while since I posted something funny, LOL! A friend send me this great list- of course once you read it, you might prefer to groan. That's OK too. Eat it up English majors!

HUMOR FOR LEXOPHILES

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.

We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.

The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.

The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.

A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.

A will is a dead giveaway.

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.

When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.

A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.

You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.

He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.

A calendar's days are numbered.

A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

A plateau is a high form of flattery.

Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.

If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.

When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

Acupuncture: a jab well done.

A new post, LOL!

2008-03-04T18:53:00.004-08:00

Well OK yeah it's been a while. BUT I have another freebie~ well 2 that coordinate. :) This kit's a result of my attempt to get into the Little Dreamer Designs apprentice program. Didn't work out, but I do have this to give away!

The drop shadows are just for effect and preview doesn't include all elements but samples of all colors. Thanks for looking and enjoy!

Snag it HERE.

Fun to Do!

2008-02-24T19:32:00.004-08:00

It's been a loooooooooooooooooong month full of digiscrapping and neglecting housework, LOL! A few interesting random bits of news:

I am a guest CT for the marvelous Paula Yagisawa this month! It's been great fun playing with her designs~ and since I still have a few days left, you'll see more of them. Check her out at Gotta Pixel.

I've added a list of my post labels down on the right side. So if you'd like to see all my free*bies, you can click there. :) Yay me!

There's a fun "time waster" aka game DS #1 heard about in band, of all places. It's called Presidential Paintball (link down on the right side). So if you're feeling a bit annoyed at the choice of presidential candidates out there (like I am) then try some virtual paintball and get 'em good!

This is my beautiful DD around the age of 1~ she loves wide open spaces where she can just RUN! I used Pillowgirl’s Berry Lime kit, stitching by Natali and a page template by Choukette. Title font is Hannah, appropriately enough.

I didn’t realize how much my DD loved strawberries until we took a family trip to a U-Pick strawberry field! She really gets into them! I used Paula Yagisawa’s and Christina Wall’s kit Cherry Delight and a page template by Sir Scrapalot.

Sparking It!

2008-02-12T19:51:00.005-08:00

I joined SparkPeople.com about 2 weeks ago, and boy has it done me some good! You can get a free personalized diet and/or healthy lifestyle plan. It helps me to track all my food and exercise, so I can see where I'm messing up! I seriously love it there! The link to my individual page is http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp.

Another freebie for y'all! It coordinates with my Cherry Blossom kit and includes ribbons, textured brads and a paper not included in the kit.

Drop shadows are in preview only. Please don't hotlink to 4shared, but send your friends here. Thanks! And now here is your link!

Freebie

More work! It's been nice to flex my digi muscles some more. :)

My DD just loves these baby swings! I guess she feels more secure in them than the traditional kind, though she’ll settle for those when no baby ones are available. I used Paula Yagisawa’s True Love kit and a page template by Nicole Shepard.

Finally I digiscrapped DD’s birth! She doesn’t look very pretty here, but she was (and still is) beautiful! I used Seebee’s Country Sweetheart kit, an action by Atomic Cupcake and a template by Megadoodle.

This is a beautiful shot DH took one night while camping with our sons. He has a gift for capturing sunrises and sunsets! I used Michelle Pieters’ Iris Kit and a template by Malily.

We spent Thanksgiving 2007 at a friend’s house, and most of DH’s family was able to be there! Loved every minute of it. I used Michelle Pieters’ Iris kit, an action by Atomic Cupcake and a page template by Celine.

Friday Night and where am I?

2008-02-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

Not where I wanna be, that's for sure, LOL!

I've been working on some new ideas here and there, along with more scrapping. It's a mad mad world out there and I've got pictures to prove it!

This is a great man I miss very much~ I had to express my sorrow. :) The page template is by HexichenLeia, but the paper and most elements~ I just can't find the kit is used, so if anyone out there knows, please tell me (I looked in my files for 45 minutes!).

A few pix of DH (and me) from the last 2 years. Aren’t we so cute? I used Seebee’s Whimsey Seasons paper, template from her Country Sweetheart kit, and a swirl from her It’s a Swirl World set.

Scenes from my very own wedding day! 1, 2, 3 SMILE! I used Michelle Pieters’ With Love kit and a piece from Words of Love. I also used a frame cluster by Lindsay Jane Designs.

My DD loves horses and ponies, so My Little Ponies are a perfect fit! She got this huge one for Christmas. I used Michelle Pieters’ With Love kit and a piece from Words of Love. I also used a page template by Lindsay Jane Designs and actions by Atomic Cupcake.

I love these pictures of my parents’ early married life~ so in love and so fun! I used Paula Yagisawa’s True Love kit. I also used a page template by Andrea Gold, frames by Sunscrap, and actions by Atomic Cupcake.

Thanks for looking! More later.

Playing Catch-Up

2008-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

While my computer was down, I didn't get to digiscrap AT ALL! The HORROR! I tried loading a trial version of PSE6 (I use 4 on my machine) onto DH's laptop. It would edit photos just fine, but when I tried creating paper, it didn't have the RAM to save it! :P So I got way behind. Now you may very a few of my catchup pages.

This is one of my many nephews, only this guy is still small and cute! I used Seebee's Frames of Interest, a page template by Michi S, paper and elements by K Fredericks, and actions by Atomic Cupcake.

This is my Marine brother and his then-girlfriend. She's now his fiancee. :) I used Seebee's Whimsey paper, a page template by Choukette, an action by Atomic Cupcake, and hardware by Herald.

I love preschoolers' birthday parties! Everyone had fun, even if it doesn't look like it here. I used Michelle Pieters' Sweet Giggles paper and elements and a page template by Yin.

DD and her next oldest brother share a fun moment~ this doesn't happen often with these two. I used Sweet Giggles paper and elements by Michelle Pieters, frame by MM, page curl by Redju, and an action by Atomic Cupcake.

Thanks for looking! :)

Addition and Another Freebie

2008-01-31T12:25:00.002-08:00

I meant to include PSD versions of the alpha beads and wordart in the original zips, BUT they didn't make it. I know I'd like to easily recolor the wordart! Just call me the absentminded mom! If you'd like them (easier to work with then the PNGs, in my opinion) then here you go!
Bead/Wordart PSDs

Another freebie I created is part of a collab kit over at My Scrap Shop (MSS). Members of the forums there could take the challenge to create a few or a lot of pieces using a particular color scheme. I must say I'm impressed by the contributions! To see all the kits, go here. To collect the pieces, go to the forums at MSS.

Part of my contribution:

You can snag it HERE.

Finally It's Ready!

2008-01-30T15:53:00.001-08:00

After the crash, and stress, and family issues, I've finished my new kit, Angel Baby. I dedicate it to my son Max, who was stillborn less than a week before his due date. I searched all digiscrapping sites I could think of for a kit related to misscarriage/infant loss, but couldn't find any (except for beautiful wordart by Sue Jones~ thanks Sue!). The wordart has different poems and sayings related to miscarriage/infant loss, but everything else in it can be used especially for babies. Please enjoy, and if you've suffered a loss like mine, remember that you're not the only one and there are many organizations and websites dedicated to working one's way through this very special kind of grief. (((HUGS)))

And the freebie:

Most drop shadows are shown in preview only. All papers are shown. Buttons, brads, photo turns, ribbons, and bows come in all 5 colors. Please don't link directly to 4Shared, but refer friends to my blog. :)

Download here:
Freebie

It's baaaaaaaaaaack!!!

2008-01-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am soooooooooooo happy to have my own computer back! After 11 days of being broken, 7 of those in the shop, I can play digitally again! Of course it's a pain to organize the hard drive with its new stuff and the stuff from the old drive, which appears to be all intact. It IS a good opportunity to clean and purge though~ I imagine if my old drive was a room, it would look like my 9-year-old's room before I spent 4 hours cleaning it last Saturday.

And finally I can leave a tiny teaser of the kit I was working on before all the drama:

Hopefully I can finish it up soon, but first I need to do some CT work. Poor Chris, Emma, Michelle, Elizabeth, and Colleen I've been neglecting!

Fixed? We'll See.

2008-01-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

After 3 days of (im)patiently waiting for my 'puter to be fixed, we found out what the problem was. Evidently the HD has some bad sectors on it. So they are going to image the drive then junk it, and sell us a new one. Here's my translation (I am geek but not THAT geek): my hard drive has some rotten pieces, so they're going to copy what they can off of it, trash it and replace it with a new one. It's a relief, because this was the cheapest of possibilities. The others were that the memory or Windows was bad (my brother, the "real" geek, affectionately calls it "Windblows).

All I can say is I will be doing the happy dance only when I have it back in my hot little hands. Then the real fun will begin~ seeing what I have to reload/replace. YAY!

While I was suffering from separation anxiety, I created with paper! My pictures are horrible~ my camera has developed this annoying *even longer* shutter lag. Picture the Yahoo emoticon ripping its hair out and dropping it. It's amazing I haven't developed an ulcer, LOL!

And since I'm in the habit of giving credit, the paper and elements are by Close to My Heart, the mini (6x9) clipboard by Oriental Trading, pail from Michaels.

Still looking for a sledgehammer

2008-01-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well now my lovely rock disguised as a computer case is with the fixit guys. Hopefully they can track down the problem and rescue my files. I am not optimistic.

I had hoped to be sharing a new kit with everyone today, but it's stuck on the dead 'puter. I will share that it's baby-themed, specifically for infant loss/miscarriage. It's personal, and if I lose that kit it may be like losing my baby boy all over again. I'm praying for recovery. :)

On the other hand, I found a fun new widget~ it's a fish tank. If you move your mouse over it, the fish will swim after it. If you click, 3 pellets show up and they devour them. It's addicitve! Find it at the very bottom of my blog. ;)

Anyone got a sledgehammer?

2008-01-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am VERY irritated at my computer! For the last 3 days it's been threatening to crash on me, and finally yesterday, while I was chatting with my mom, it did. All my digiscrap files and software are there, and I hope my hard drives are OK~ DH's laptop is nice enough, but it's not mine, ya know?

So to pass the time and have some fun, I took a Blogthing quiz. I dunno about this one, but if it gives someone out there a good chuckle, then hey, it was worth the 2 minutes I spent on it. :)

Your Theme Song is Back in Black by AC/DC

"Back in black, I hit the sack,
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back"

Things sometimes get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos.
But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!

What's Your Theme Song?

The only work I feel like doing

2008-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

First off, I've brought out another freebie! This one I've actually had done for 2 months but I've been waiting for the right time of year. ;) I call it Pink Love:

Paper
Elements

Not all elements are shown, and drop shadows are only for the preview (for most anyway). Please send friends to my blog instead of hotlinking to 4Shared. Thank you, and enjoy!

Winter Weather

2008-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

The last 2 days in my corner of the southeastern US have been heavenly. For me, anyway. :) The daily highs were 38 degrees F, with lows in the teens. These kinds of days remind me, ever so slightly, of growing up in Alaska, without the snow and long nights of course. So I felt like playing with Colleen Shibley's Chilly Days kit (collab with Neverland Scraps and Connie Prince).

For this one, I also used a page template by The Scrappy Times. I love capturing my oldest son and DD together. She has him wrapped around her little finger. :)

I used a page template by Yin for this one. Luckily it warmed up a couple of days into our vacation, and we could really enjoy the beach. :)

Thanks for looking!

I get to . . .

2008-01-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

. . . be a January guest CT member for Colleen Shibley! She's a fabulous designer over at Gotta Pixel. I'm so excited to work with her and play with her designs. Thanks Colleen!

My First Freebie!

2008-01-01T19:10:00.001-08:00

I had this bizarre thought yesterday, why not create my own kit? (I'm not a professional designer ROFLOL!) After 2 afternoons of on and off work, I am ready to share what my concept of New Year's is. Please leave me comments, send me feedback , and I'd love to see any layouts done with this. Thanks! :)

DOWNLOAD HERE

The background is white to show off the 2 gold and silver overlays. There are also 8 elements and 4 pieces of word art. Drop shadows are only on preview.

Political Science??? NOT.

2007-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Your Vote Score: 67% Republican, 33% Democrat

While you don't always agree with the Republican party, it's a pretty good match for you.
Do be sure to research each candidate. A conservative Democrat or independent candidate might fit you better at times.

Should You Vote Republican or Democrat?

The Soccer Mom comes out to play

2007-12-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

I'm so lucky my DS's jersey goes great with this paper!!

I used papers and elements from Pillowgirl's Beautiful Day, a page template by Yin, and embroidery effect by Atomic Cupcake.

DD and her friend ignoring DS's soccer game, LOL! I used paper and elements from Pillowgirl's Beautiful Day, a template by Lindsey Jane Designs (modified by me), and 2 effects by Atomic Cupcake.

*later edit* Evidently I have a 39% chance of surviving a zombie apocalypse, but it was also messing up my text formatting? Don't get it, but I hope erasing it helps. :D

For Mom

2007-12-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

For my mom's Christmas present, I made my mom brag book pages. Unfortunately I haven't been able to print or bind them. That's for later. :)

I used Michelle Pieters' A Gift of Gold brag book. Fancy! Hope you like them mom!!!

Blinkie Collection

2007-12-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

I just thot I'd share my blinkie collection with y'all so I could link to it. :) Maybe I'll add more later.

It's almost here!

2007-12-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the arrival of Christmas, here's something I did last week (I'd show more, but that would spoil my mom's Christmas surprise. HI MOM!!!):

The photo was taken a year and a half before my father passed away, and is one of my favorite Christmas memories. I used Seebee's Festive Christmas paper pack and one of her swirls from It's a Swirl World. I also used beads and wire from ScrapGirls and a page template by Andrea Gold.

Speaking of memories (I'm waxing nostalgic), I think I'll share one more. Clear the kiddos from the room because this is a SANTA SPOILER!

The first Christmas after my father passed away, my mom brought me in on the secret (I was 9). Santa needed an elf. I don't recall being disappointed, but thrilled that I got to sneek out of bed after everyone was asleep and stay up late. How cool is that for a 9-year-old? We'd wrap presents, put out the candy, and stay up and watch the old A Christmas Carol. I loved those nights!

Oh well, time for bed. See y'all later!

Class Work

2007-12-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

I've finished the Design Styles class at Scrap Girls, but not the classwork, LOL! Here's what I did for collage style:

And now graphic:

Flaming orange is a huge departure for me, but it was fun to get out of my box! :D

Thanks for looking!

Wacky Wonderful Week

2007-12-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

It's been another wacky week here in AJ Land. I spent most of the week driving around in my minivan. It's good for me to get out of the house but it's sapped my energy and creativity. It normally doesn't take 3 days for me to finish a layout,and all the Diet Coke in the world couldn't help. LOL!

Last night was Family Portrait Taking Night. This doesn't happen every year, more like every 5. But here is my beautiful family, sure to be featured in future work:

So cute huh? It wasn't as much work as I thought it would be, having lived through 3-3-year-olds.

OK what else have I got? Oh yeah, more Christmas!

I used Michelle Pieters' new Joy: Fruit of the Spirit kit, found at Gotta Pixel. I love the bright colors~ they really highlight the fun my kiddos are having. I also used a frame by Lindsey Jane Designs.

This page features Seebee's gorgeous Holiday Cards set 2 found at Digitals. I love how set 2's cards have more than one picture~ it works especially well for people who can't decide which picture to include with their card (like me!). All other elements are from Michelle Pieters' A Gift of Gold kit. Title covered in gold through Atomic Cupcake. :D

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here's more of Michelle's fabulous Gift of Gold! This stunning kit features glittering gold elements and rich papers. Go snag it here at Gotta Pixel. I also used a template by ABCDelf and actions by Atomic Cupcake.

OK now I feel like creating more. Catch ya on the flip side!

Some Holiday Fun

2007-12-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

I've got a few fun holiday websites for y'all to try out:

Elf Yourself: I can't get it to work tonight. Don't know if it's my browser, it's down or just busy. But it looks like a lot of fun!

Snow Globe: This is one my mom made (Hi Mom!). I've got to get over there and try it. Here's their blurb: Pepsi will donate up to $50,000 to America’s Second Harvest - The Nation’s Food Bank Network to help provide food for those in need based on the number of snow globes created.

And finally, I couldn't resist a holiday Blogthing:

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy.

Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong

Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

More News :)

2007-12-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

I was invited to join a new CT! I have the honor of creating for Pillowgirl aka Elizabeth Blust.

Here are a couple of pages I created using her Christmas Dreams kit:

The first used a template by Shandy Vogt and the second used a template by Amy Fenner.

Pillowgirl's designs can be found through her blog store or at Stone Accents Studio. I know I'm going to enjoy working with her!

College Football and LO's!

2007-12-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

College football fans are abuzz with this year's bowl schedule. I think the bowl schedule's been messed up since the BCS was established, but that's another subject for another time, if ever.

This is my favorite article I've read on it, to date, over at Deseret News (based in Salt Lake City, UT). I won't say which of the teams it talks about is my fave, but I think the sentiment rings true for all, LOL! And if it doesn't for you, that's OK too. ;)

And now, more artwork by me, Seebee, Michelle Pieters, and a few others. :)

This page features Seebee's Swirlflakes Brush set, found at Digitals. I resized then stamped them on a paper from her Opulence kit, and reduced the opacity to 35%. I also used one of her Holiday cards. The big snowflake and title have Atomic Cupcake's glitter effect on them. The supersized brad and pin are by Pillowgirl. Ribbon by Cindy Doerkson.

This page features Michelle's It's a Bling Thing Swirls, which you can snag over at Gotta Pixel. I also used one of her Misty Blue papers and ribbon from Just the Basics. Frame cluster by Lindsey Jane Designs. Effect on title by Atomic Cupcake.

Mom's Letter to Santa

2007-12-04T11:10:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the schoolplayground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows whenI'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM...

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

New Layouts!

2007-12-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a loooooooooooong week~ "a week of Mondays" as one of my friends put it. Meaning every day felt like Monday, the day no one I know of looks forward to. Ugh. I'm glad it's almost over. :)

Tonight begins our annual round of Christmas parties. I think we only have 4 this year, plus 4 musical performances. I'm the type of person who dreads going, and ends up having a good time (except for once, when we "lost" our son for an hour or so~ long story). So ho ho ho and here I go!

This one I made for Michelle, using her new Bling Flowers. I also used pieces of her Misty Rose kit and Glass effect by Atomic Cupcake (on the title~ love that place!). The journaling is most of the lyrics of the Rascal Flatts song, "My Wish." I'm not a big country music fan, but I love this one.

I signed up for a class on Design Styles at ScrapGirls.com. Love that place too! This is my page for Shabby Chic. I even used all ScrapGirls products. :D I used 2 papers, pin, stitching, button, and chipboard tile from the Refresh kit. The top one I "cut out" with KSC's Timeless papers, then I used the same paper as an overlay, reducing the opacity. The title is from the Timeless brush set. The photo frame is by Brenda Peters. Oh, and the alpha is called Enchanted, by Erica Hite(?).

Heroes

2007-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

I recently bought the movie Spiderman 3. I didn't get to see it in the theater, and I liked the first 2, so I figured "what the heck?" It was great! I'm a sci fi/fantasy nut, and superhero movies fit into those genres somewhere. It got me thinking about superhero movies in general~ there have been a lot made in the last few years, and they've been popular (with few exceptions). But why have they been so popular?

It seems like every time I read or watch the news that the world is in constant chaos and evil deeds abound. Sometimes it seems hopeless and that very little good happens. The world could use a few heroes like Spiderman or Superman to help save us regular mortals from ourselves.

And that's why I think superhero movies are popular these days. They give us someone to put our hope in, even if it's just for 2 hours and 13 minutes. We get to escape into a world where people are saved by those stronger than us, people who try to do the right things, people who put others before themselves.

While I do love watching superheros kicking butt and taking names later, I DO know real-life heroes. Like my mom, who raised 7 of us by herself. Or my DH who, in his Air Force job, does tasks not related to his training. Just because he loves our country. There are plenty of others I know who would bend over backward to help if you blow a tire on your car or lose your kid at Wal-Mart. I choose to believe that most people "out there" are basically good, hardworking people trying to do the right thing in this crazy world. I have seen too much to believe otherwise.

Blah

2007-11-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days where no matter what you do, you don't feel like doing it? Or anything? That's today. Oh well.

I did get some pretty things done yesterday, so I will show off those.

These are both from Michelle Pieters' Hope Brag Book. I love the colors~ they seem to match my photos of sunsets and sunrises. Sunrises in particular give me hope, because it's the symbol that the sun DOES rise even when everything else stinks.

Also, I have funny quiz results. Everyone can use a laugh, right? It's amazing how these silly little quizzes can be so darn accurate.

You Are More Yin

Feminine
Devoted
Forgiving
Fall
Winter
Afternoon
Moon
Time
Passive
Metal
Honey

Are You More Yin or Yang?

The wonderful world of pie baking

2007-11-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, pie baking for the holidays! Among my extended family and various friends, I am well-known for my pie baking. It's not something I've sought, but I enjoy it anyway.

See, I've been baking the pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas for about 20 years now, and I've gotten dang good at it (you'd think I would be, after that long). It all started when my mom asked me to help her in the kitchen. She was swamped with turkey preparation and the like. So began my fabulous holiday hobby!

Today was pie baking day, because tomorrow we'll be journeying south to enjoy Turkey Day with my in-laws and their in-laws (don't ask, they just consider us extended family~ hey, it's the South!). I've spent half the day with the oven on and me covered in flour. The results are a made-from-scratch apple pie, cherry-blueberry (I didn't find another cherry pie filling can until after the thing was cooling) pie, and 2 pumpkin pies. They look dang nice (and yummy) if I do say so myself.

My DH (who does 99% or more of the cooking in our home) said to me the other day (he'd been chatting with aforementioned in-laws) that it was requested that I make pies and bring them. Other family members also attending said feast asked what kind of pies I'd be making. OK! Guess I'm a celebrity, or at least a dessert kinda hero. It's so bizarre.

So what is it that makes others drool over the thought of my pies? Sure my crust is light and super flaky, but I've got no secret recipe. It's just Betty Crocker's. Is it the contents? Nothing special about the apples I've used or the cans of pie filling I dumped unceremoniously into the shells. Regular old Comstock brand! And I do different ones every year? Is it the *LOVE* I bake into them? Not consciously, lemme tell ya! Soooooo I think I will just pipe down and enjoy the 2 times a year I can serve others with delicious treats I make myself. :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Apple

Cherryberry

Pumpkin

HI Mom!

2007-11-18T18:56:00.001-08:00

My mom said I should post some of my latest work! I bet she didn't expect me to change my template, LOL! OK Mom!

This page features Seebee's Harvest Hues kit. I also used a layout template by Shirley Schmitz, and frames by Manu70.

Michelle Pieters has been busy creating LOTS of bling for us! The next two feature overlays from her Bling Overlays 1 and 2. Princess Ane here also uses Michelle's Misty Rose kit.

For this I also used one of Michelle's Amazing Art Basics paper and a template by Nicole Sheppard.

Busy Me

2007-11-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well I have been a busy little bee lately! I'm getting a lot done, but plenty is still fallling by the wayside. Like posting in my blog and visiting my favorite haunts. :D

I've been preparing for my latest Close to My Heart party. I'm always a bit afraid of walking into an unknown group of gals, wondering if I'll get along with them. No problem today! I had a great time! :D

I can't leave digiscrapping out! I don't think I could ever give up my paper completely, but I loooooove manipulating the digital realm! :D Here are a couple from Michelle Pieters' new kit, Love: Fruit of the Spirit. She's been even busier than me, and has lots of new things in her store at Gotta Pixel.

This one also uses a crumple action from Atomic Cupcake and a template whose creator I can't find. I love it, whoever you are! :D

I don't think I could ever get tired of scrapping my BFF's wedding pix. They are just too cute together! I used another action by Atomic Cupcake on the postcard (burned edges) and a template by Gerti.

Fabulous Art!

2007-11-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've been busy again working with fabulous new paper created by Michelle. :) I wish she'd tell me how she does this to the paper . . . but I'll settle for playing with it! LOL!

She calls the paper Amazing Art- Floral. It's beautiful to look at by itself! She also made a companion Kit called Amazing Art- Basic that has solid colors from the Floral pack, but still artsy. :D Hop over to Gotta Pixel and grab them both!

Laws Other than Murphy's

2007-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Murphy overlooked these for some reason....

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time)

Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Theater Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's really ugly.

Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Wide Wide World of ?

2007-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been a kind of foggy haze for me. My DD has been waking up around 3 am the past few nights. We haven't figured out why exactly, only that she demands stories, potty stops, extra blankies, etc. So if I make even less sense than usual, that's why. I did have 2 naps, but I'm not sure how much they've helped.

There have been bright spots! I've been able to play with Michelle's Misty Blue kit. It's fantastic!

(For this bottom one, I based my design heavily on a template~ there's no name on the file, but I love it!) B&W's look sooooo fab with Misty Blue! Zip over to Gotta Pixel and snag it!

And for a little fun:

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

An Alien

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Easy Personality Test

2007-10-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Your Personality Profile

You are dreamy, peaceful, and young at heart.
Optimistic and caring, you tend to see the best in people.
You tend to be always smiling - and making others smile.

You are shy and intelligent... and a very hard worker.
You're also funny, but many people don't see your funny side.
Your subtle dry humor leaves your close friends in stitches.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

This is all pretty accurate! ROFLMBO!

And now for some scrappable pix. DD and I went on her preschool field trip to a pumpkin patch at a local farm yesterday. We had a blast!

She was scared of the scarecrow! But she did enjoy picking her pumpkin and a bit of cotton too. :D

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

2007-10-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go back and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no.9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a no.9 on this list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

And now, some pix. First for Emma, using her Autumn Spice kit, a freebie on her blog. I must remember to put in full credits. ;)

Another 2 for Michelle, she's rocking! Let me tell ya, this minikit really is just for boys. It's called Blessed with Boys. Find it over at Gotta Pixel. I also used parts of her aplha Minikit- Denim.

Oh yeah, Michelle's got some great kits in the works, so be sure to keep checking her store!

Leftovers

2007-10-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

That's kind of what I feel like these days. I'd love to stay in bed all day tomorrow and just sleep.

Last night I went to Cub Scouts, which was depressing since only 1 boy showed up. I left for home and heard a loud noise outside the car. After a few minutes, I pulled over at a school and discovered my left-front tire was flat. I'm 25 min. from home at this point. I checked the spare and it looks like it was slashed (blew up from too much heat this summer). Thank goodness for divine assistance! My cell phone battery didn't die as I was dealing with DH and roadside assistance. So I got home over 2 hours after I normally do, and the car got towed to a fixit place.

Another item I need to get off my mind is DS #1's adjustment to middle school. He's fairly shy and doesn't take change well, thus when he's having trouble, he won't ask for help. He's very smart, and is technically a year ahead (late birthday). Yet I see F's coming home on his progress reports. I'm dumbfounded. So we've talked to teachers and the school counselor, and hope we can encourage him as much as possible without stifling him. 11 is hard enough without parents' coddling.

OK I guess that's enough about me. I have a couple of things done for Emma, who's having a rough time. (((HUGS))) Emma!!! This first one is from her Footprints on My Heart- Boy kit.:

This is from her Little Black Dress kit, which she currently has up as a freebie on her website! http://eyeletsscraps.blogspot.com

I'll put out full credits for those later. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed. :D

Michelle's New Art

2007-10-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Michelle Pieters has created some fabulous new paper! I'm so in love with it! See:

If you could zoom in you'd see the amazing texture of the paper! It's just like looking at a real painting close up. These 2 papers come in a set of 4 she's called "Amazing Art- Autumn." I think she's got more planned (winter, etc.) which is good news for all of us! :) On both of these I also used her Just the Basics element pack. Torn corner by me.

1 Lonely Layout

2007-10-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I ought to post something today even if it's just a picture. So here I go!

All elements and paper from Emma Moore's Lime'n' in the Sun kit, except the turtle. Page template by Yin. Li'i li'i honu means little turtle in Hawaiian. We were stationed in Hawaii when she was born.

Why I Love Mom

2007-09-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

There are nights I feel like this, but not many. :) Luckily I found me a man trained well by his mom!!!

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it’s getting late. I think I'll go to bed."

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."

And he did...without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...?

CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

Laugh til it hurts . . .

2007-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I got this great YouTube video by e-mail today from one of my friends. I laughed so hard because it's all true!!! It got yanked because it was copyrighted material~ but it was a woman singing words that moms say all day ("because I said so," etc.), and condensing it to about 3 minutes. The music was the William Tell Overture (aka the "Lone Ranger" song).

It reminded me of another one I saw a few months ago, so I had to check it out again. I laughed so hard that I cried!!! Mom My Ride

It's been a slow but busy week for me, but I STILL SCRAPPED bwah ha ha ha! Here are a couple for Michelle using her Hope, Fruit of the Spirit kit:

This kit inspires quiet contemplation~ the colors and textures are very soothing and easy to work with. :D

What the heck, I'm still awake

2007-09-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

This one's for you Emma! I'm so bummed she didn't make it to be the next (big booming voice) Digitals Design Star. Paper, arrows (recolored) and "Laugh" by Emma Moore; frames by Seebee, Stars by Carla (MeuScraps Designs).

Last of Electric Diva LO's (who knows, maybe I'll bring it back again, bwah ha ha ha). Soo fun to recolor B&W's!

More Art

2007-09-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

What's the name of a guy with no arms and legs hanging on the wall?
ART!

For Seebee, using her Mess of Frames. They look so great layered! Also used paper and ribbon from her Date of Birth kit. Key ring by Lemonaid Lucy and flower by Newlife.

And for Michelle, with Electric Diva and Magazine Covers:

I thought I'd clone stamped that light switch out of existence, but not on this copy of the picture I guess. ROFLOL!

Randomizing

2007-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I got the CK newsletter, which I don't always open but did today, for lack of better e-mail. They now have a "Random Challenge Generator" on the website here. I checked the boxes for number of photos, journaling style, 3 embellishments, and scraplift. I got this:
Your challenge is to create a layout using:
Number of photos: four

Embellishments/Accents:
Something stapled down
Stitched elements
Decorative brads

Journaling style: columns

Sketch/Layout to scraplift: sketch7 (it shows the sketch)
Pretty funky eh? I may have to go back there to try it!

Now a couple of LO's I did last week for Michelle:

I had a ton of fun recoloring the picture to match the color in Michelle's Electric Diva kit. It's neon and black grunge~ think punk and 80's. So fun!

Here's one with DD, again with Electric Diva~ but I slid the paper and elements right into Michelle's Magazine Cover templates! So easy and quick, and fun to look at. Who doesn't want to be on the cover of a magazine?

My Brother, My Hero

2007-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

My brother Jon just returned form several months in Iraq. I know there are things he did that he'll never tell me about, but that's ok. I'm an AF wife, so I understand that. ;) Anyway, here he is!

Sadly, single gals, he's taken. :D That's his girlfriend and my mom below.
I was fortunate that I got to chat with him several times via IM. Shortly before he left the desert, he told me about his girlfriend, who's strong, independent and fun. He told me she reminds him of ME! WOW I was surprised! He said he's always looked up to me and I'm kind of a hero (I'm 6 years older than him). WOW. I almost cried! This big, tough, knows-15-ways-to-kill-someone-with-his-bare-hands Marine looks up to me.

That's really something, because I'm a full foot shorter than he is, if not more. Don't let the big, bad Marine stereotype fool ya~ they're all teddy bears inside. :D

A little funny

2007-09-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

From my DH, who thinks all I do on here is talk about him and what he isn't getting. LOL! You have to read it aloud, pronouncing each capital letter. ;)

MR ducks!
MR not.
OSMR! CDBDI's?
LIB! MR ducks!

I'm a bum

2007-09-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am not updating like I should! Now I'm ROFLMBO at myself. Been hard at work doing actual HOUSEWORK! It's amazing, really. Between last night ans this morning, I rattled off 4 LO's which I'll post later, but now I have to get these others out. ;)

This on features Seebee's new Opulence Kit. It's pure opulence all right! Gorgeous, rich purples and blues, with a touch of rustic in the wrought iron embellies. This page sums up my experience at the 2006 Close to My Heart convention. Opulent!

I've had these pix for almost 2 years, sitting around waiting for this kit! It's one of Michelle Pieters' newest, called Summer's Sunset. Gorgeous, earthy fall tones!

I was scratchin' my head wondering what other pix I could pair with Summer's Sunset when I came upon these in an older folder, and the idea for this LO popped into my head! In the pic with 3 boys~ only the character in the middle is mine. The other 2 are rambunctious nephews. :)

Sickness

2007-09-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

The first illness of the school year has struck my home. *SIGH* I wonder how long it'll take to get thru this one, and to what symptoms I have to look forward. DD and DS2 are running fevers. I really hope that's it.

On the bright side, I found a fun widget on Joy Kuoha's blog~ again. She seems to have as much fun stuff as freebies! You have to scroll down to the bottom to see it~ I couldn't get it to work in a regular post.

I did create 1 LO so far this week. Slow again!

It's for Emma, who's trying to become the Next Digitals Design Star over at Digitalscrapbookpages.com, aka Digitals. I made this using her kit, Grunge Delight. I used one of ScrapGirls' torn paper templates, but she has her own in the kit.

Background~ My dad passed away when I was 9, and I'm the oldest child, so I remember the most about him. My mom finally gave me some pictures of him so I can see what he was like even before I was born! This way I can fuse what I know with what I didn't know so my children can get to know him. Make sense? I didn't think so, LOL!

WEIRD FACTS

2007-09-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

~Interesting things you really don't need to know~

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs....but not downstairs.

A duck's quack doesn't echo and no one knows why.

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.

Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

A snail can sleep for three years.

No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH."

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

All polar bears are left handed.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

Almost everyone who reads this post will try to lick their elbow.

Don't forget to pass these weird facts on to everyone you know.

They will get a kick out of it!!

PS... So, did you try to lick your elbow?

The rest of the week

2007-09-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

I was able to finish 2 more this week! I have so many projects "due" this month, LOL! Paper, fabric and digi-type. :) So with that off my chest, I'll post these and get back to my paper project. I was feeling wedding-ly I guess!

For this I used a different shade of Michelle's Misty Rose paper. Love it!

This one's for you Chris! I used all Seebee's products here~ Flowerpress paper that I can't get enough of and swirls from her It's a Swirl World collection of swirls in .png and brushes.

Taking it Easy

2007-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

So far I've only finished 2 LO's~ I just have so many other things to do! Maybe I'll actually get something accomplished tomorrow while Hannah's at preschool. Usually I run around on errands that aren't of my choosing.

This one's for Emma! Her store at Scrapstreet is finally fixed! This LO uses her Citrus Surprise, and for once I didn't alter anything (ok like 3 things, but no recoloring).

Michelle gave me Misty Rose yesterday, and I love it! Ever since I saw it a few weeks ago, I've wanted to play with the beautiful pinks and beads in it. I'm awfully glad I get to work with her and play with her lovely kits!

More Hugs

2007-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

YAY! I am so easily pleased, I guess, but I have my "hugs" back on my blog! It's to the right, below my picture, on the sidebar. Feel free to give me lots!!!!! Some days I just need 'em.

Look What I've Done All Week . . .

2007-09-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I made 6 digi layouts this week! No wonder I don't want to look at my computer! Seriously, I enjoy working with "my" 3 designers and their awesome work!

This is Beautiful Girl! The story behind this one is I couldn't get the pic on the far right to come out clear. I decided I liked the look, so I grunged up the other 2 to look similar. Add some of Seebee's paper and ribbon and Voila! Beautiful LO. At least I think so. :)

Michelle asked all of her CT to create a LO all about them, so here it is! I think the paper looks great with my photo! And I love the elements that came with the kit, Teenage Memories.

If this is our future, the fashion houses should beware, LOL!

Uh Oh

2007-08-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Changed my template & deleted all my blinkies and links! (rips out hair) Looks like I'll be reconstructing tomorrow.

My Superpower

2007-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this great blogthing over at Joy Kuoha's blog today:

Your Superpower Should Be Invisibility

You are stealth, complex, and creative.
You never face problems head on. Instead, you rely on your craftiness to get your way.
A mystery to others, you thrive on being a little misunderstood.
You happily work behind the scenes... because there's nothing better than a sneak attack!

Why you would be a good superhero: You're so sly, no one would notice... not even your best friends

Your biggest problem as a superhero: Missing out on all of the glory that visible superheroes get

What Should Your Superpower Be?

First one for Michelle

2007-08-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've been able to create a LO with her Teenage Memories kit:

Works for preschoolers too!

1 More CT!

2007-08-28T17:24:00.001-07:00

I must be insane! Oh yeah, I have that in writing, LOL!

I get to create for the fabulous and talented Michelle Pieters!

She sells her designs over at Gotta Pixel.
Woo hoo! Time to get creatin'!

Has it been a week?

2007-08-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Wow no wonder no one reads my blog, LOL! Not if I go 10 days between posts.

I've done 3 layouts in that time, some of them are even good!

This one features Emma Moore's Sassy U kit, found in her store at Scrapstreet. They appear to be doing maintenence, and I hope it'll be back up soon! Everything but the button (K Myers) and torn paper template (Scrapgirls) is from the kit.

This one features Seebee's Take Notes Journaling Mats (in the center, enlarged). Everything else is hers, except the frames (Scrapgirls). Her store is here at Digitals.

Another one for Chris/Seebee~ I love this ribbon she just turned out called Ribbons in Bloom. It goes well with her Flowerpress Paper Pack which I also used here. Rose clips are by NBK, journal paper by Manu70 (altered), frames by Molly & Max Digital Creations, and metallic glitter style by Alexis Green/PAOJava.

The Price of Children

2007-08-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Something absolutely positive for a change.

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child, from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family.

Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits.

So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren.