Nap's Scraps

My new weight loss blog!

2009-10-24T14:15:00.003-04:00

Good Saturday afternoon all! I wanted to come over here to let you all know that I've started a new blog (non-scrappy)... Getting To Know The Real Nicole...my journey to lose 130 pounds and getting to know the real me. Stop on over and say hello if you'd like! This has turned into my life's passion right now, so I'm more apt to update over there a LOT more than over here, lol!

Enjoy your weekend!

Getting caught up...

2009-08-31T10:03:00.000-04:00

...is not going to happen, lol. It's been a while since I posted (it's summer and it's been a busy one!) but I've missed blogging so here's a bit of this and that of what I've been up to and perhaps several useless and random thoughts. :)

I've read Elizabeth Edwards's memoir, Resilience (I REALLY enjoyed it.).
After my first design team term with Citrus Tree Studio was up in July, I decided not to continue on with the second term. I think I just need to take a scrap break.
I've been anxiously awaiting all the green tomatoes on my Topsy Turvy to turn red. I've got a lot on there but sheesh, where were all the warm, sunny days this summer that the tomatoes love? Oh well, at least it hasn't been so humid!
I'm seriously IN LOVE with Febreze vacuum bags. Oh my stars, they make my house smell soooooo clean! Have you tried them? I can't find a link to them for some reason but I have a Hoover and get mine at Walmart.
I'm going to make this Fresh Pea Salad soon! Doesn't it look refreshing? I'm going to dial down the fat though...reduced fat cheese (Cabot makes a 75% reduced fat cheddar that is delicious!) and maybe non-fat yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream instead of the mayo. Oh and probably no bacon. :)
I turned 34 on August 25th. I believe it was my BEST birthday on record, lol! Will share why in a soon-to-come post! :)
I've recently installed the Weather Station Google Gadget on my home page and being a weather nerd, I LOVE it! Real-time radar and forecast! LOL!
I read 3/4 of Melissa Gilbert's (she played Laura on Little House on the Prairie for those of you who have been living in a box, lol) memoir, Prairie Tale. I returned it to the library not fully read. The first half was interesting and the rest of it...well, wasn't. I got really sick of the Hollywood name-dropping and...I was just over the book, lol. I kind of wish I wouldn't of read what I did read. It tarnished my "Half-Pint" vision. :)
I've discovered (by help of Google!) that Tea Tree Oil is very good at stopping the itch and help heal chigger bites. YUCK.
Umm...has anyone watched Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC? OH.MY.WORD.
I found this recipe for homemade taco seasoning, made it and tried it with shredded chicken for our taco night. I love that I can control the sodium (I cut it down to a 1/4 of the amount). It was really good!
I've been living on our front porch this summer and loving it! I'll take whatever book I'm reading and sit out there in the sun, take my laptop out, make my grocery list, talk with my neighbor lady and sometimes just soak up the rays. I love that this summer wasn't a hot, humid one for the most part!
I think I'm going to spend some birthday money and buy these Rollerblades!
My sister, her boys and I went to the Cincinnati Museum to see the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit as well as the Omnimax film, Dinosaurs Alive. It was really an amazing exhibit and the boys kept saying how awesome it was! ;)
I'm sad that The Next Food Network Star is already over! I really liked watching it. Melissa's new show, $10 Dinners, seems okay but I just can't get into it, lol. I'm more into watching Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetite these days.
I started Aquatic Therapy and it's kick started a new healthy way of eating, exercise and an overall different attitude about myself over the last 7 weeks! More to come on that soon!
DH and I bought a new kitchen island light (it was on clearance, so I can't find an image except that one on Ebay, lol) at Lowe's and had it hung. Fun!
I am not looking forward to fall at all. I think this is the first summer in the last 10-15 years or so that I have thoroughly enjoyed 100%. I do NOT want it to end. The other day, hubby and I went for a walk and there was a house that was all decked out in fall decor already. It seriously made me sad, lol. I was like...uh, it's still August, people! I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed for a warmer-than-usual fall. ;)

Okay, lots more to come soon! :) Enjoy your day and make the most of it!

Still here...

2009-08-30T19:38:00.001-04:00

Who's ready for a new post? Coming soon! Neener, neener! LOL! :)

Win a Tamron lens!

2009-07-12T09:26:00.003-04:00

Oooooh, this would be a fun one to win, don't you think? You can check out all the details here! Good luck!

Yum Cupcakes!

2009-07-09T19:28:00.005-04:00

Please try not to lick the screen. Please. I'm out of lens wipes.

These were so much fun to make and I loved how colorful and of course how delicious they were! Thanks to Recipe Girl for the inspiration!

Look at how blue that batter is! Smurfville city, don't ya think? ;) I loved how the red, white and blue batter looked through the cupcake liner.

Festive and rich - icing in red, white and blue and my husband couldn't keep his fingers out of it! I think he shed a tear when I dumped the leftover icing down the drain, lol!

I used a star tip to pipe the icing on. I piped and piped...

...and piped and piped, 56 cupcakes! Yes. 56.

Have no fear... they were gobbled up! My nieces, nephews and in-laws really enjoyed them and I had so much fun making something festive for the day! I think I'll carry this "I want to bake something red, white and blue" tradition on each July 4th!

Have a great night! :)

Citrus Tree Studio: July "Days of Summer" Kit REVEAL!

2009-07-05T13:57:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday all! Looks like a beautiful day here today! I hope it's also lovely where you are!

Yesterday was the 5th which means *reveal day* for Citrus Tree Studio's July "Days of Summer" kit! This is truly my favorite kit thus far! It's right up my alley with the bright, vivid colors, the summer/beach/pool/vacation theme is always a FAVORITE of mine and this kit is bursting at the seams!

I was also up for this month's Product Spotlight which features Kaiser Craft's wood albums. I chose the Fancy Flower one and had a super fun time creating it while using July's "Days of Summer" kit (will edit this post when I have a link)!

{Notes}
1. All projects were created with Citrus Tree Studio July's "Days of Summer" kit with stash item exceptions noted below each project.
2. All photos taken with my underwater digital camera (in case anyone is wondering!)

Stash items: Bazzill white cardstock, American Crafts green button

Stash items: Jenni Bowlin patterned paper & Bazzill white cardstock

Stash items: Bazzill white cardstock

For this card, I used my American Crafts Slick Writers to "dot" the foam Thickers to help them stand out against the white...

Stash items: Scenic Route Grid patterned paper, Bazzill white cardstock

Stash items: Scenic Route Grid patterned paper, Bazzill white cardstock, American Crafts Thickers

What do you guys think? Isn't it a great kit?

Thanks for looking! Have a super Monday! :)

Red, White & Blue Treats...

2009-07-02T15:46:00.005-04:00

I've been seeing so many fun July 4th (red, white and blue-themed, of course) treats on some of my favorite food blogs and I'm bound and determined to make at least one of these recipes (you can find the recipe links below each photo) for Saturday!

At first, I saw these "Happy Meals" around Father's Day and flipped out! Come on! The "hamburgers" are cupcakes, brownies and icing and the fries are made from sugar cookie dough! Oh dear! I just love them and think they'd be fun for this coming weekend!

{Photos/Recipe}: Bakerella

Then I saw these Red, White & Blue Finger Jello treats and for heaven's sake, I LOVE all the layers! Don't they look delicious and festive?!

{Photos/Recipe}: Recipe Girl

My eyes soaked these up too! I'm a huge cake/icing lover and these are surely scruptious-looking cupcakes! Love the swirled icing!

{Photos/Recipe}: Recipe Girl

Or maybe these cheesecake bars with raspberries and blueberries?! These look so creamy and rich, don't they?

{Photos/Recipe}: Recipe Girl

Last but not least, these are calling my name also! I just want to pick one up and try it now! Love the star shape!

{Photos/Recipe}: Brown Eyed Baker

Decisions, decisions!

What are you making this July 4th? Anything festive? Link me! I'd love to see!

This and that...

2009-06-25T21:32:00.006-04:00

I don't know where you are, but it's HOT and STICKY here and I'm soooo glad for central air! LOL!

I meant to post the Father's Day cards I made ON Father's Day but alas, time got away from me.

I made this one for my father-in-law. Isn't the crossword puzzle paper cute? I was originally inspired by this card and since my father-in-law enjoys his daily crossword puzzles, I wanted to use the idea but when I went through my stash, I didn't have any paper like that. So, I went online and printed this crossword puzzle on cardstock. It worked perfectly!

This was the card I made for my dad. Isn't that little grill hilarious? That's one of those $1 Studio G stamps I picked up at Joann's. Love those little stamps!

With all the different color challenges on various blogs, I was excited to see that my assigned design team challenge was color this month. These are the colors I chose (and the cards I made) and I just love them together! You can join in on my challenge here! We're always looking for newbies!

Can you tell I was in my October Afternoon stash that day, lol? I just LOVE their stuff!

Okay, one more card. I made for this one for my sister-in-law. I had a photo to send to her and thought it'd be a lot more fun to tuck it into a handmade card, right? ;) The majority of the products are from Citrus Tree's June "Zinnia" kit.

You may remember this card? I did the same for the card below by sewing 2 of the die-cut papers together (in the kit!) and used my hole punch down the side. Remember those Lil' Davis ticket alphabet stickers? Holy smokes, those are old! LOL! I've always loved them though! Those were in my stash!

Speaking of Citrus Tree, the design team and board members are all getting geared up for our "Christmas In July" crop - Saturday, July 25 & Sunday, July 26, 2009! Dig out those Christmas photos, papers and supplies! We'd love to have you stop in and participate! Cindy's prizes are OUTRAGEOUS!! You can read all the details here!

And just because I can...a photo of my dog's horribly hard life. Oh my. She's a worker. I don't know how she does it, day in and day out. *Whew*. I should really give her a break. ;)

Alright, off I go to plan my day. Hope you have a wonderful Friday! Nice of you to stop by! :)

A little more Project 365...

2009-06-08T22:40:00.004-04:00

Have any of you seen the Disney*Pixar movie, Up yet?

I went with my sister and nephews last weekend and it was really cute, although I'll warn you to bring a tissue (or four), lol. Gosh, my sister and I were shedding some tears! It went over the boys' heads but not ours, lol. It was a cute movie and we had fun. I'd definitely recommend it!

Okay, a few more Project 365 photos to share with you! I'll get caught up eventually, lol.

I finally reorganized all of my acrylic stamps and put them in binders, so I set up a blanket with the pupster and I on the porch one day. I got a little sun and finished my stamp organization!

A little braid in my hair...

Trash day!

I was starting to get behind on backing up my photos, so one day I sat and did it. That's always a relief to get done!

I picked up the book, "The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families--How they Do It" from the libary. It was interesting and I read it in 2 days.

Every year I hang Boston Ferns from our porch - 4 hang from our wrap-around porch and 1 from our back porch.

Violas that I planted. This ceramic planter sits on our table on our front porch. Bright and cheery don't you think?

Off to bed I go! Thanks for stopping! :)

This is a BIG one!

2009-05-26T12:13:00.004-04:00

For Pete's sake. That was a long blogcation, lol. So, let's take this slow and add a little at a time. :) I am at least 5 weeks behind on posting my Project 365 photos, but I'll get them up in time. Today, I'm posting a few and will get the rest of them up here soon. I will, I will, I will! ;)

BUT, first of all, today is reveal day @ Citrus Tree Studio and there's LOTS to share! This month Cindy put together TWO wonderful kits (a full and a mini...although it's not very mini!)! "Easy Rider" features the Rebel line from Glitz and "Zinnia" features the Little Yellow Bicycle Zinnia line. Both of these kits are packed full! You can pick them u here!

I created 4 layouts and 4 cards and still have a LOT of product left!

Easy Rider Kit exclusive except for the Jenni Bowlin alphabet/star stickers (available in Citrus Tree's May "County Fair" kit) and American Crafts Thickers

Easy Rider Kit exclusive with the exception of the 7Gypsies "Journey" stamp, Jenni Bowlin alphabet stickers (link above) & additional white cardstock

Zinnia Kit exclusive with the exception of the chipboard owl (thanks to my friend, Beth)and Prima flower

Combination of Easy Rider and Zinnia Kit

For this card, I sewed together 2 of the Zinnia die-cut papers and to finish the edging I used my hole punch to give it a notebook paper feel...

Zinnia Kit exclusive

For this card, I cut the spades from the patterned paper and then hand-formed the flower...

Combination of Easy Rider and Zinnia Kits

Combination of both Easy Rider and Zinnia kits with the exception of the "friends forever" rub-on. I also used the American Crafts Photo Corner packaging (the black/white polka dot cardstock).

Combination of both Easy Rider and Zinnia Kits with the exception of the rub-on
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Okay, here's a few of my Project 365 photos that I'm behind on posting. Excuse my rounded corners and the inconsistency, lol. I'm practicing and went overboard on the plane one, lol!!

My pile of Box Tops that I gave to my mom to take to her school...

I was making eggs one morning and to my surprise, I cracked into a double yolk! Isn't that good luck or something? Did I eat twins? Ha!

While driving home on the interstate, I saw this plane. We have an airport really close.

Hubby and I took 2 of our nephews to our favorite pizza place one day. We had so much fun with them! Notice the ginormous balls of bubble gum in their mouths! LOL!

My sister's birthday cookie. Don't ask why it says what it says. It's a loooong, funny story!

Taco salads/tacos at my parent's for Sunday dinner...

We ordered pizza in one night. Yum! I like a little green pepper on mine. ;)

Hubby's brother came over and worked alllll day on replacing/fixing some plumbing in our basement.

*Whew*! Thanks for stickin' with me! :) I'll be back this weekend to post some more of my photos! Have a good one!

A couple of cards...

2009-05-23T09:11:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Are you looking forward to the big holiday weekend? I bet you've all got lots of BBQ plans and outdoor activities going on, right? I think my mom, my sister and I are going to go The Cheesecake Factory for lunch today and then hubby and I are going to do some yard work later on. As for tomorrow and Monday, I'm not really sure what's going on except of course for church.

Well, I'll be posting my Project 365 photos soon, but for now I have a couple of cards to share that I made last week.

One was for a friend who suddenly lost her father last weekend. So tragic and unexpected. I've always known it to be true but you truly really never know when it's your time to go (or someone else for that matter).

The other card I made was for a friend who's going through a difficult time. I just wanted to send her a little pick-me-up and let her know I'm thinking of her.

Can you tell I'm still loving my border punches? I think I've used them on every project I've made over the last few months, lol! At least I'm using something in my stash! :)

Have a great weekend!

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

2009-05-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T09:34:00.006-04:00

Thought I'd share a few cards that I'm giving to some very special mom's today! ;)

These were cards I did for my challenge at Citrus Tree Studio. The challenge is to distress! You can check it out here as well as see the other challenges for the next month here. Come and join us! We'd love to have you!

For all you mothers out there, enjoy your special day!

Citrus Tree Studio's May "County Fair" Kit is here!

2009-05-04T23:06:00.011-04:00

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a great week!

This month was my first month designing with Citrus Tree Studio and what a fun month to come on board!

Today was reveal day for the May "County Fair" kit and it's full of Jenni Bowlin! Can't go wrong there! I really love the colors in this kit and the chip buttons are really fun! Check it out!

Here are my creations! Can you tell I'm totally diggin' my border punches, lol? :) I was so happy to make a couple of cards because I have like no card stash at all so I'm going to try and start building it up. I get a little envious of those of you who have a good stash, lol. I want that.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by! I love my bloggies! :)

Playing catch-up...

2009-05-01T13:15:00.007-04:00

I think I'm taking a chance with this post as Blogger has been a royal pain for me today, ugh. Here goes anyway! *crossing my fingers*

Hey, did you see my new header? I made it last night and I think I like it, although I really miss my vacation photos. I might have to sneak them in somewhere else here, lol.

I'm finally getting the majority of my Project 365 photos posted after a few weeks of life being a bit different than usual, but it's all good (as my friend, Patti says). There were a few days that I didn't take photos and a few that I prefer to keep private. I feel like I'm keeping up for the most part and I'm still enjoying it so I think that's the most important thing. :)

Off we go! *Excuse the absence of day titles this time around but no worries as I have them in order in my pictures folder on my laptop. ;)

Around here, farming equipment on the roadways is a common site - even in April snow!

Beijing (our pug) had a fit and got in the trash! Bad dog! (bad me for leaving a few Easter candy wrappers in there, lol)

My mom doing her therapy exercises after shoulder surgery...

I took my camera to the cemetary when I saw the trees beginning to bloom.

The moon while sitting our front steps...

Happy birthday, Honey!

I noticed the Hawaiian Shaved Ice Shack took off their covering. It must be time for snow cones!

Went to the library to pick up a book I ordered from another library. Isn't our library gorgeous?

Picking up printer ink at Staples...

The tree in our backyard with all it's beautiful buds! Since this photo, we now have full leaves!

A trip through the Dairy Queen...

I made dinner for my parents and took it to them after my mom's surgery...

Giving Beijing a bath - not her favorite activity, lol...

I got in the car and it was a rainy day but I loved the green tree buds and the lone blossom that my wipers had cleared from my windshield...

This is what I call a swap! WOAH! I joined a share/swap (basically each participant stuffs the box full of what they haven't used in their scrappy stash, send it to the next person, they take what they want from the box and add what they're done with. It continues until it goes full circle) and we're already up to 4 (yes, FOUR!) HUGE, HEAVY, STUFFED boxes!

One of the entrances into the town I live. Love how beautiful the trees look!

Ahh, it's time to dangle that arm and soak up some sun!

*Whew* I'm glad to get that caught up. I was starting to feel really behind.

Enjoy your Friday!

Earth Day, Layout & Card...

2009-04-22T14:33:00.009-04:00

Happy Earth Day everyone! I'm not a big environmentalist or anything but it seems like that's all I've heard about today. ;) I do my part in regards to recycling, putting trash where it belongs (it REALLY bugs me when people just throw their trash wherever it lands, UGH!), keeping the lights off when they're not needed, running my dishwasher in the evening and things like that not to mention a general respect for nature. Have you seen Google's Earth Day image this year? I love it! The blues and greens, sea life, water and trees! I just wanna take a swim in it! ;)

I have a couple things to share that I created a couple weeks ago. Some of you may have already seen them here or there, but for those who haven't, here they are. First up is a layout for my *Ad/Art Inspired Challenge over at Citrus Tree Studio. I found the following advertisement and loved it's randomness as well as the clouds, rainbow and birds! I felt inspired right when I saw it! *Come on over and join in the challenges! We'd love to have you!

My inspired layout: I used photos of my sister jumping in my in-laws pool almost 4 years ago, but they reminded me how ready I am for summer!

I also made a card from my sister and I that we set up on my mom's kitchen island with a bunch of tulips for when she got home from surgery a couple weeks ago. :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday wherever you are! It's turned into a beautiful, sunny day here even though it's a bit chilly. Looking forward to 70's and 80's starting tomorrow and into the weekend! Thanks for coming by!

Citrus Tree Studio!

2009-04-16T23:49:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post this for a couple weeks but life has just been a bit different than usual lately.

I've wanted to share that I am so stoked to have been asked to join the Citrus Tree Studio design team as a full-time designer! I happily accepted and am looking forward to the next several months with Cindee and the rest of the team!

I had taken some time off from designing/design teams and the break was good but I was really starting to miss creating and it couldn't have come at a better time!

If you've not visited the site or seen the kits, feel free to drop by and take a look around! Cindee puts together FUN kits (see the April kit here!) and the message board is so friendly and welcoming! We'd ♥ to have you!

Thanks for sharing in my excitement! :)

Easter/Project 365 Photos

2009-04-11T09:12:00.005-04:00

Good morning everyone and Happy Easter weekend to you! The sun is screaming here and it looks like tomorrow is going to be beautiful too! So happy for that! :)

It's going to be a quick post as hubby and I have several hundred eggs to stuff. Yeah, I said a several hundred, lol. It's a tradition that hubby started with his nieces and nephews many, many years ago and we've carried it on together. :)

So, I'm a week behind in posting my Project 365 photos so thought I'd get them up before I post this week's photos tomorrow, lol!

SUNDAY - My open bible

MONDAY - Isn't this photo so trashy looking? I took this photo when hubby and I went to drop off my car at the shop and way in the back was all this trash and this funky car! LOL! I assure you we know the mechanic and he's nice as pie. :)

TUESDAY - I made a big batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies as a thank you to said mechanic

WEDNESDAY - I installed my new Photoshop Elements 7.0! YAY - and upgrade from Photoshop Elements 4.0! By the way, PSE 7 is a steal @ Costco for $49!

THURSDAY - We grilled Spicy Chicken Sausages and sat outside to eat. It was so nice out!

FRIDAY - Hubby and I went and looked at lighting at Home Depot. I'm looking for a new light for my kitchen.

SATURDAY - We went to a local park since it was such a beautiful day. The trees are looking so lovely! Come on Spring!

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter blessings!

I'll be back soon and will share a fun little tidbit that I'm very excited about! I just want to give it it's own post. ;)

Thanks for all your sweet comments and for your visit! I just LOVE and appreciate it! :)

Project 365 Photos 3/22 - 3/29 & Sympathy card

2009-03-29T18:15:00.008-04:00

Good evening everyone! I have my photos from last week for my Project 365 to share but first a card. I made this for a challenge over at SBO hosted by my friend, Celeste. It's inspired by this Becky Fleck sketch. :)

Isn't that Fiskars Sun Circle border punch so cool? I've had it in my stash for some time and decided to dig it out and try it! I really like it!
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Alright, on to the photos!

SUNDAY - No photo! It seems like this is becoming a habit on Sundays!

MONDAY - It was a good mail day! SCRAP FUNSIES!!

TUESDAY - I met my sister-in-law for lunch and we both had Cobb Salads. :)

WEDNESDAY - When I get home from the grocery store, I "process" all my veggies, herbs and meat. I scrub/wash all my veggies, dry them and put them in the crisper. I rinse my herbs (parsley and cilantro this week) and spin them in my salad spinner, then wrap them in paper towels and store them in Ziploc bags in the crisper. I also divide and wrap bigger quantities of meat for the freezer. It's a time saver!

THURSDAY - Uh oh...another no photo day! LOL!

FRIDAY - My mom and I took a trip a to Sam's and came across this FABULOUS patio/pool furniture! Look at that double lounger! I just LOVED it!!

SATURDAY - A stop by McDonald's for a scrumptious Iced Coffee! This particular McDonald's in our town has 2 drive-thru's. Have you seen them? Kind of cool. :) I always wonder how they keep the orders straight because it gets busy and all the cars get out of line it seems! LOL!

So, there you go. Another week in photos! Before you know it, we'll be half way through the year! Time just flies so fast!!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping! :)

Project 365 Photos - 3/15 - 3/21

2009-03-25T15:39:00.007-04:00

First of all, YAY for my 100th post!!!!! I totally should have done a giveaway or RAK or something huh? I'm a loser, LOL!

For now, all I have to share with you is my Project 365 photos from last week. Yeah, I know it's Wednesday. I'm a little late. Whatever. :)

Yeah, a shower photo, lol. See that beautiful coral-colored bottle of Caress body wash? I love it. I love the color of the bottle, the bottle design, the name of it - Tahitian Renewal (ahh), the bits of pomegranate seeds in it, just all of it. Now mind you...normally I'm a simple girl when it comes to body wash. Typically, I wouldn't pay $3.50 for a bottle like this, but I admit...I got sucked into the allure of it all and I'm okay with that, this time. :)

Remember last week I told you that I had ordered two subscriptions through my nephew's school fundraiser? Coastal Living arrived last week and this week my first issue of Travel & Leisure arrived. Love it!

I took this photo at an intersection that I find myself at quite a bit. Every time I look across the road throughout the year, it's such a "seasonal" place. Right now, the trees are still sticks and icky brown so I can't wait for Spring to turn it green! There's a nice river under that bridge as well. :)

My pot rack in my kitchen. :) My SIL gave this to me years ago and I still just love it. Crate and Barrel - what's not to love?!

My little nephew and I being silly with my camera. Is he sweet or what? We were giggling and laughing!

On Saturday, hubby came home with subs and surprised me by stopping by our favorite mexican place and picking up chips and salsa. We LOVE them!!

That's as exciting as this post it going to get, LOL!!. Enjoy your evening and thanks for poppin' in! :)

Sympathy card & 99th post!

2009-03-20T16:58:00.003-04:00

People, I just realized that this is my 99th post! :)

Just a quick post to share a card I made. Unfortunately it's a sympathy card and I have another one to make this weekend. Sympathy cards are kind of sad to make, huh?

Inside sentiment:

May the memories that fill your heart help to bring you comfort.

I hope you're having a wonderful first day of SPRING! It's a cold one here but the sun is screaming so it's all good! :)

PS - How do I underline in Blogger? Anyone know?

Project 365 Photos - 3/8 - 3/14

2009-03-15T09:41:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! While sitting here watching Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel (she's in Hawaii this episode and I wanna go!), I thought I'd get last week's photos up. :)

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Sunday - It was so nice out that hubby washed our cars!

Monday - Our dog LOVES to sit on the front porch and watch all the comings and goings of the neighborhood, lol.

Tuesday - My nephew had a school program but without the permission of several Kindergarten classes (lol!), I won't post it here.

Wednesday - I was playing with my webcam on my laptop, hee hee!

Thursday - You just don't know how happy this made me. My nephew had a fundraiser and I chose to buy 2 magazine sub's from him - Travel & Leisure and Coastal Living. I received my first issue of CL and for pity's sake, I LOVE IT! I sat for the longest time and soaked every last bit of it up and then I came out of my haze and realized I was back in reality...in the Midwest. Ugh! LOL!

Friday - Those of you who know me well know that I LOVE palm trees, right? Well, several MONTHS ago, my Mom was so cute and dropped off 2 rolls of paper towels with palm trees on them. OMGOSH, I just love them but I just couldn't bear to open a roll until this week, lol.

Saturday - Yesterday, my Mom and I sat at my dining room table (my messy, scrap table, lol) and booked a flight for my Dad.

So, there you go! I'm going to work on my journaling for my 365 project this week becasue I'm

B E H I N D!! ;)

Enjoy your Sunday wherever you are!

My GINORMOUS Ebay dealio & a layout!

2009-03-12T15:00:00.008-04:00

Don't ya just love that word "dealio"? It's hysterical to me! If you've seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite you'll know that was said by Uncle Ricco! What a character! ROFL! I know, stupid movie but it's so dumb it's funny! Okay, I'm cracking myself up!

Anyway,I was reading through my subscribed blogs the other night and came across a post on Adrienne Kennedy's (from My Sentiments Exactly) blog. She had mentioned that MSE was selling units of 100+ sentiment stamps on Ebay and it totally caught my eye. I went to the auction and the current bid was $15.00. I think they were selling either 10 or 20 units between 2 auctions, so I figured I had a chance. Well, I got the dealio for $17! Woohoo!! Check it out! Just a few stamps for my stash, lol! I can't wait to get them!

I also have a couple layouts to share with you. This week, I scrapped a layout using the Fancy Pants Daily Grind line. Sheesh, I just love Fancy Pants these days! I also have the Summer Soiree line coming to me soon!

This is my sister and I last October. She was in a very serious car accident last summer and broke her back in 2 places. On this particular day in this photo, she had just had her back brace removed after having it on for 3 months. It was a day with varying emotions. I am so deeply grateful that she is still on this Earth with me. I can't imagine life without my sister. I just love her so much!

As always, click image for a larger view...

Here are a few close-ups...

Thanks for letting me share and thanks for your visit! I just love all the pop-ins from my blog friends! :) Enjoy your Thursday!

Project 365 Photos - 3/1 - 3/7

2009-03-08T18:16:00.005-04:00

Good Sunday everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your day whatever you're doing. :)

The weather is kind of strange here - 60's, overcast, rainy and under a Tornado Watch. I was just outside because the sun started to peek through the clouds and it was raining at the same time so I knew there would be a rainbow. Sure enough, there was a faint one but I couldn't get a photo because my neighbor's house was right in front it, lol. So pretty though and I just love the promise of it!

Okay, another week of Project 365 photos and I have to say...there were two days I didn't take a photo! ACK! LOL! Oh well! Life will go on! ;)
-------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY - NO PHOTO!

MONDAY - gas price in my area. Is this about average?

TUESDAY - NO PHOTO!

WEDNESDAY - drycleaning day for a couple of hubby's suits...

THURSDAY - Our 16th Engagement Anniversary! We went out to dinner but I decided to choose this one of hubby putting some air in my tire at the gas station! LOL!

FRIDAY - YAY for new knobs on my piano! My old ones fell out over the last two years, so it was time to replace...

SATURDAY - Hubby and I went to a gourmet market and it was such a fun time! I took so many photos but I loved this one of the wine department. There was also this chilled compartment of wine and we were trying to scope out the most $$$ bottle and the highest priced one we saw was $300. Sheesh. I can think of MUCH more exciting things to spend my money on! LOL!

So, you remember yesterday when I posted about The Little Professor calculator being an owl? Btw, LOVED all your comments about it! So fun! Well, I went back and edited my post because it was not an owl as I had remembered, lol!! I was thinking of this calculator and although I didn't have one of these (It was called the Quiz Kid), at the time I thought it was cool! Is it just me or are his eyes creepy? LOL!

I'm off to enjoy the rest of the evening, especially since it's still light out! YAY!! I love that it's lighter longer! Thanks for poppin' in on my little world! ;)

Quirky bits of this and that...

2009-03-07T09:04:00.010-05:00

Good Saturday morning everyone! I love Saturdays, especially when my hubby doesn't have to work. :) I am really looking forward to today. It's supposed to be near 70° and I just know it's going to feel good! I am ready freddy for Spring!

Okay, so just a fun, quirky post for today. I saw this posted on my friend Marjorie's blog and thought I'd give it a whirl. :) I typed my answers out yesterday, so they're one day outdated, lol!

Two Names you go by
1. Nicole
2. Honey

Two things you are wearing right now
1. Grey top
2. Red, grey, black & white pj bottoms

Two of your favorite things to do
1. Go on vacation - especially to the beach!
2. Be with my hubby & family

Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. To be healthy
2. Vacation

Two favorite pets you have/had
1. Currently, a Pug - she's 9 years old
2. Fish

Two things you did last night
1. Went out to dinner to celebrate our 12th engagement anniversary
2. Watched American Idol

Two things you have eaten today
1. Cobb salad (made it for dinner)
2. Lebanon bologna for lunch

Two people you last talked to
1. Hubby
2. My very best friend of 17 years

Two Places You have been in the past year
1. Smokey Mountains
2. On the computer, lol

Two favorite beverages
1. Iced green tea with fresh mint
2. Water

If you'd like to play, then play! I'd love to read yours, so let me know if blog it!

Okay, one last thing that's been on mind, lol. Please tell me someone else had The Little Professor calculator when they were little? Remember these? I LOVED mine!! HELLOOOOOOO...remember it was an **owl!?! It's so funny how popular owls still are in scrapbooking and with how much I love them, that it makes perfect sense that I had one when I was young! LOL!

Sooooo, did you have one? I think there was 2 different kinds, but this is the kind I had and I thought it was so cool. :) I'm thinking it was circa 1980 or 1981...

**ETA: I've come back here to say that my recollection of the Little Professor being an owl is wrong, rofl (thanks Leigh for jogging my memory!)! I had another calculator in mind. Will share that one (and it IS an owl, lol) tomorrow! ;) But I still loved my Little Professor either way! ;)

So, that's it! I told you, quirky post! Enjoy your Saturday!

TOOT!

2009-03-04T09:56:00.008-05:00

Top o' the morning everyone! A few things to share today!

First of all, congratulations all the new Spring/Summer '09 designers over at Citrus Tree Studio (isn't that such a refreshing name? (♥ it!)! Looking forward to their work and inspiration! Check out the complete Design Team!

Angie
Stacey
Tammy
Tricia
Zoa

Congrats also goes out to a few lucky gals who will be Guest Designing this summer. Yep, that #2 is me! YAY! :)

Kayla
Nicole
Shelly
Tanya
Yvette

I'm looking forward to Guest Designing this summer!

Okay, a few cards and a layout to share with you. As always, click image for a larger view...

I've scrapped this photo in a mini album last summer but I really wanted it on a layout for my album. This is a family photo (everyone on my Mom's side, minus my cousin who couldn't make it) taken last summer on our family vacation (sort of reunion) in the Smokey's. On the last day, we set up my tripod and camera and had at it.

I made this card for Jan's "Many Manufacturers" Challenge at Scrapbooker Online. Obviously the challenge was to use as many MFG's as possible. So I racked my brain, trying to figure out how I could get a load of MFG's on here. I ran the card through my Sizzix with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots folder and to get as many MFG's as possible, I got all my individual bags of scraps out (sorted by MFG) and then used a small circle punch to punch various MFG's patterned papers, typing them all out when I used them, lol. I ended up using 45 different MFG's and won the challenge! YAY! Thanks Jan!

I made this for a friend who I thought might need a little pick-me-up this week. It went postal yesterday!

I think that's all for today. Off to run some errands and enjoy the sunshine! Looking forward to rising temps at the end of this week!

Project 365 Photos - 2/22 - 2/28

2009-03-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Good Monday evening everyone! Hope you're all doing well and not buried in too much snow! I am surely tired of winter. We've had a lot of snow and a lot of cold weather and over the last week, I've been really dreaming of Spring. We had a 60° day last week and I just loved sitting on the front steps and knowing that Spring was around the corner. It was so refreshing! Come on warm weather! :)

Can you believe that we're already in week #10 of Project 365?! WOW!

My photos for last week...

Pretty self-explanatory - I made pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning. It's a known fact in this house that I can make almost anything from scratch and it comes out wonderful but pancakes are a no-go. I just buy the boxed mix, add water and get it over with! LOL!

NO PHOTO FOR TUESDAY! Not sure what happened, lol!

We ordered Chinese take-out (rather, delivery) for dinner. I ordered something new this time (basically steamed broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts with a yummy sauce & fried rice) and it's my new FAVORITE! DH ordered Sweet & Sour Chicken w/fried rice. Oh and our fortune cookies were hysterical that night. They gave us 4 cookies so we both opened one and they were both missing the fortune! DUDS! LOL! Then we opened our other cookies and mine said "It is time to seek out new friendships" and DH's said "Your decisions made today will be fortunate ones". :)

I decided that I have so much crap I forget that I have (like all us scrappers do!) that I took out some things so I can actually see it all (and use some!) and I still didn't scrap that day. *sigh*

I made a big pot of homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs. I'll freeze some, give some to my parents and keep some in the 'fridge.

It was such a cold night and doesn't it seem like lighting a candle makes it more cozy. I thought so. :)

These were my friend on Saturday with DH coughing and sneezing all over tarnation!

Photo border from Atomic Cupcake

Last week I said I'd share some cards and never did, so I'll be back tomorrow with those cards and 2 more cards and a layout I made this weekend. :)

Enjoy your evening ladies!

Project 365 Photos - 2/15 - 2/21

2009-02-23T08:51:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone! It doesn't feel like a Monday though which is good, lol. The sun is finally shining even though the roads have a pretty covering of snow and ice. It makes it all sparkly anyway. ;)

Just wanted to pop on and share my last week's Project 365 photos and then I have a few errands to run.

Here they are!

Hubby and I took a little roadtrip to visit my friend, her hubby and boys. We also made a stop at Michael's (okay, I had hubby get off this exit so I could run in, lol), and after our visit we ate at O'Charley's (their sweet rolls ROCK!) thanks to a giftcard from my friend. ;) *I made this photo collage in PSE. I'm loving the multi-photo photos - can you tell? LOL!

On Monday I had just posted online to some of my scrap buddies that the sun was shining and it was beautiful out...then about 5 minutes later it started snowing! LOL!

It was a warmer day on Tuesday, so Beijing and I went and sat on the front steps and soaked up some sun and fresh air...

A trip to Walgreens to pick up 20 free 4x6 prints, YAY! Love those online codes!

I clean a gal's house and Thursday was cleaning day...

After a few errands, I took this photo of a portion of our quaint Main St. buildings...not real exciting, lol.

Totally random photo for Saturday - this are the top 2 shelves of my measly overflow in the basement...

Grunge border from Atomic Cupcake

That's it for now! I'll be back tomorrow to share a couple cards I made last week!

Have a great day girls!

Oh how I L♥VE new FUNSIES!

2009-02-17T10:51:00.005-05:00

So, yesterday I told you that I went hog-wild (maybe critter-wild is more acurate) over something on Sunday and this is what it was!

You see, the closest Michael's store to me is about 40 minutes away, so I don't get there often. On Sunday though, we drove south and I had hubby get off the exit so I could run in and see what they had (I was specifically looking for the new MS chick edge punch, lol). I didn't find the MS punch but I spied this new line from Colorbök called Friendly Forest! I had seen this on someone's blog and flipped out when I saw it but figured I'd never get it because my M's was too far away, lol! Well, not true! I bought a good part of the collection because it's sooooooo darn cute! I just LOVE the different animals, birds and mushrooms and the vivid colors are right up my alley! And the chipboard is CRAZY COOL! I can't wait to break it all open and get into it!

What do you think?

I'm off to my table to see if I can get my creative juices flowing! Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Project 365 Photos 2/8 - 2/14...

2009-02-16T16:25:00.006-05:00

Hope you all had a l♥vey-dovey Valentine's Day! Our day was filled with sweetness and it's kind of funny because it seemed like our day was going to be spent just putzin' around the house not doing much but we ended up being gone for a good portion of it, lol. It was a fun day! Just being together makes me happy. :)

When I was typing out this blog post title, I was thinking that I can't believe it's already the middle of February! I don't know where time goes but this Project 365 seems like it's just moving right along! I think it's definitely one of the easiest projects I've done not to mention one of the most fulfilling thus far!

Here's my photos from last week. Sunday's photo is a bit private, so I'm keeping that one to myself. We'll start with last Monday and move forward from there...

My cell phone. It's always with me when I leave the house. Always. It's not fancy. I've had this particular phone for at least 5 years. It doesn't take photos, there's no fancy keyboard and I couldn't care less. It does what it's supposed to do. AND...it only costs me $29.99 a month. I have tons of minutes and I never go over. Never. Oh..and I don't text either. Can you see all the scratches on the side? :)

Ugh. Crappy photo of the tv when AI was on. I love AI! Go "Norman Gentle"! LOL!

We had a weird weather week. On this particular day is was 60°... and people...we were under a Tornado Watch. VERY weird for this time of year. There were big, puffy, white clouds and then along came these dark clouds. And mind you, since there's a vignette around the photo it darkened them a bit dramatically, lol, so they weren't as black as they appear here but they were dark!

This is the Chocolate Brownie Trifle I made for hubby's card night with his Bridge buddies. You can also see the coffee pot, plates and coffee cups and crockpot (filled with yummy meatballs - a FAV recipe from my friend, Patti) on the counter. He really enjoys these nights!

*Drool* I went into Joann's looking specifically for the DCWV Green Stack and came out with both size stacks, the box of chipboard PLUS 4 of the new Fiskars Border Punches! WAHOO! I bought the Upper Crest (I always want to say Upper Crust, lol!!), Effervescense, Apron Lace and Boundry Waters. I just love loot days, especially when everything is on sale!

V♥lentine's Day - (photo collage created in Picasa 3)
1. On the way to eat at our favorite mexican restaurant (pictured), (2.)we were holding hands in the car (awww!)
3. It was also our Pug's 9th birthday, so we stopped and got her a natural peanut butter bone, lol. We also sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Yep, we did. Seriously.
4. In the evening, we rented 2 movies and picked up some movie-watching candy! Yum, don't ya just love Bottlecaps - especially the brown ones!

Grunge border from Atomic Cupcake

YAY for another week, done! I'll be back tomorrow with a photo of what I went hog-wild over yesterday! YAY! :) Enjoy your night!

Happy V♥lentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:57:00.004-05:00

Good morning and Happy V♥lentine's Day! Just a quick post to share the card I made for my hubby. Yesterday I bought The Green Stack (DCWV) and wanted to come right home and use some of that cute paper! I bought the 12x12 stack, the 8x8 stack and the box of chipboard...all the little critters, trees and mushrooms are ADORABLE!

"Happy Valentine's Day" brush by Nicole LeBlanc

Grunge border from Atomic Cupcake

That's it! I told ya, quick post! LOL! ♥

Project 365 Photos 2/1 - 2/7...

2009-02-10T07:53:00.007-05:00

Good morning everyone! Another week of Project 365 photos came and went and I'm noticing a pattern with mine...food of some sort, lol. :) I've also finally started my journaling, whew! I was getting worried that I'd fall behind but I'm feeling better about it now.

So, here we go:

Super Bowl Sunday - I took a lot of photos but NONE of us watching it, lol. This is my BBQ Pulled Pork for sandwiches we had and sheesh, it was GOOD!

Picked up a few groceries...

Each evening (and sometimes during the day) I open my Google Reader and catch up on all the blogs I'm subscribed to. I really enjoy it!

I was out running around and picked up a chicken sandwich from Burger King only to be completely disappointed that it tasted like old oil. UGH. Disgusting. One bite and I was done. Serves me right - I should have went with the grilled chicken, lol! Waste of $4!

The hubs and I played Scrabble in the evening. Yeah, he always wins.

A trip to the bank drive-thru...

We went out to dinner with my parents and my aunt and uncle who were visiting from out of town. Yep, that was our table. In my Project 365 album, I'll put the group photo that the waitress took, but for my blog I'm a little more private. ;)

Photo border is from Lily Designs
Days of the Week from LLL Creations

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday! I want to get outside a little bit today since it's going to be 60°! Woah! Crazy for February! Thanks for stopping!

Project 365 Photos - 1/25 - 1/31

2009-02-03T09:00:00.006-05:00

Good morning everyone! I've got to say that hubby was over the moon excited about his Steelers taking the Super Bowl on Sunday! Although I'm not sure how much more post game re-hash I can watch! Oy!

I can't believe that January has come and gone already, which means as far as Project 365 goes, I'm one month down, 11 to go! ;) Seriously, it's been REALLY fun! It seems like as each of my days move along, I'm constantly thinking "I wonder what I'll take a photo of today?". It really makes me aware my daily activity and sometimes I find myself thinking, "gosh, I hope I don't miss a unique moment that I might want to capture". Then I'm quickly reminded that, "hellooooo....you have 300+ more days to capture that unique moment!", LOL! It's turning into a neat project! Today I'll be working on getting January together with my journaling (no, I haven't done any journaling yet, yikes!)in the album.

Last week's photos...)

Hubby had unloaded the dishwasher (he's always so sweet and helpful like that) and I found these dishes sitting on the counter when he was done. The cupboard these go into drives him NUTS, so he left them out for me to put away! LOL!

Okay, can you say BARGAIN? I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and as I was walking by the Philadelphia cream cheese (the 1/3 Less Fat kind, my FAVORITE!), I saw a sign that said "4 for $1.00". Of couse I was like...what? $.25 for Philly cream cheese? I checked the expiration date (I have found that Walmart is notorious for selling outdated products!!) and they didn't expire until the middle of February so I was all over that! A quarter!

A photo of my passenger seat with my errand debris on it, lol. My gloves, lens cap, wallet, Goodwill donation receipt, Maureen McCormick's (Marcia from the Brady Bunch) new book (poor thing had quite a life) I picked up from the library, and the sweetest little handwritten note from my nephew. He had written "To Ant Nicole and Big D - I mist yu". OMGOSH. I just love him. He gave it to me when I had stopped by my sister's that day. Awww, I almost cried.

Hubby snowblowing round one of the near foot of snow we got!! I just LOVE snow! Too much is never enough! :)

I made salmon for dinner...LOVE salmon!

A load of reds in the washer...(we usually have 2 loads of reds between us. We love red.) :)

I had 4 very brown, tired-looking bananas and decided to try a new recipe to use them up. I made Martha Stewart's Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (yep, used some of my bargain cream cheese, lol!). Can you tell I used to decorate cakes? ;) It was the BEST recipe for banana cupcakes/bread!

There you have it! :)

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday! Thanks for dropping by!

Super Bowl and a card...

2009-02-01T09:57:00.006-05:00

Just a quick little post to say that we'll be cheering for the...

Who will you be cheering on? :)

Thought I'd also share this card with you (thanks Beth, lol). I made this card for my friend, Carolyn for her birthday today. This design was completely inspired by this card from Carla!

Have fun watching the game and I'll be back later to post my Project 365 photos from last week!

Project 365 Photos - 1/18 - 1/24

2009-01-26T08:23:00.018-05:00

Good morning everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. It was a nice, relaxing one for us - out to eat with both sides of our family, chilled on Saturday, and a another round of snow yesterday (with more to come tonight!! YAY!)!

I meant to post my last week photos for Project 365 on here yesterday but just didn't get around to it, so here I am. I am really enjoying the process of taking a photo-a-day! While editing this week's photos I applied a single vignette and decided to try a grungy border from Atomic Cupcake.

Off we go!

Hubby with his "Terrible Towel" before last Sunday's Pittsburgh Steelers game. Off to the Super Bowl they go! YAY!

A trip to Sam's with my mom on MLK day. We bought lots of goodies and the fun thing about going with someone else is you can split those big packages between ya!

Inauguration Day! I watched from home and the best I could do was to take photos of the tv while it was happening. I made a collage of my photos in Google Picasa.

My minibook basket which is jam-packed and I've decided I desperately need a BIGGER one!

After a doctor appointment, hubby took me to a pizza place that him and a co-worker went to a while ago. It was a very cool place. On the walls were TONS of old black and white photos of movie stars and celebrities who have eaten there. I took a TON of photos and it was some DELISH pizza!

Out to dinner with all of hubby's family and my parents to wish my in-laws bon voyage as they leave for Florida for 5 weeks. I didn't take my camera but I did wear one of my favorite headbands, lol!

While doing some reorganizing around here, I did a much needed cleaning out of my magazine/ad basket. It was WAY FULL! Again, I merged 2 vertical photos to show my overflowing basket and how much I ended up putting in the recycling bin!

If you're participating in 365, I hope you're enjoying this project as much as I am! Be sure to check out a few of my friends who are also involved - Marjorie, Maryfrances, Carolyn, Janice and Daniela!

Have a good Monday and thanks for drivin' by! :)

This and that...

2009-01-20T20:40:00.007-05:00

No matter what your political affiliation is or how you voted, today was a historic day! I've watched the last 4 presidential inaugurations and always find them so interesting. Today was no different. I love the pomp and circumstance and hearing all the historical events from past presidential inaugurations. And the people, so many people there! Here's another stunning photo taken of my tv (with an Atomic Cupcake border applied), lol!

While I was watching the events unfold today, I finished this layout that I had started a few days ago. It's a complete lift of Keisha Campbell's *A* layout and while I rarely scraplift, I needed some inspiration since I haven't scrapped since mid-November. So, be easy on me! LOL! Hopefully I'll get back into scrapping after this!

The photos are of our pug, Beijing. :)

Did you watch American Idol tonight? I basically missed the whole hour because I was fiddling around with getting my laptop set up for wireless printing. Ugh! LOL! BUT, I can finally print from my laptop after trying to get it figured out for a couple weeks! I guess missing AI was a good exchange! ;)

Allright, that's all I've got tonight. Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments! They mean a lot to me! :)

Project 365 Photos - 1/10 - 1/17

2009-01-18T18:22:00.008-05:00

This Project 365 is going well! Well, it's only been 2 weeks (lol) but it's really fun! I've started to think I might want to round the corners as Maggie Holmes did in the following image. I like how her rounded corners gives the photos a finished look.

Here are my photos from last Saturday to yesterday...

My laptop - last Saturday, I basically played all day on it! LOL!

My bible for church last Sunday...

My Project 365 kit arrived in the mail on Monday...

On Tuesday, I scrapped for the first time since November...

Our water delivery was on Wednesday...

On Thursday, I got 8 years of my medical paperwork together for Friday's appt...

Photos of the temp outside via our car thermometer and a photo on the way to the dr. appt... (again, these were 2 photos I merged together to make a horizontal photo)

Hubby and I out and about on Saturday. You can see Staples straight ahead in this photo. We were going for more printer ink...also ordered a Bluetooth dongle so that I can print wirelessly from my laptop!

I've also already taken today's photo (think Steelers game!) but will upload this coming week's photos next Sunday.

Oh and have you seen the show "Gameshow In My Head"? It's on Saturday nights on CBS and it's HILARIOUS!!! It's a must see if you ask me! Hubby and I just sit and laugh! :) Go check it out. You can watch episodes if you haven't seen it!

Have a great night and thanks for poppin' in!

Baby, it's cold outside...

2009-01-15T20:37:00.010-05:00

I'm happy to be inside tonight. Brrrr!!

THE WIND CHILL WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM EST FRIDAY.

VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH FRIDAY. THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TO PRODUCE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS OF 10 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE COLDEST PERIOD WILL OCCUR TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING WHEN WIND CHILLS OF 25 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO WILL BE OBSERVED.

THOSE PLANNING TO VENTURE OUTDOORS SHOULD USE COMMON SENSE AND DRESS WARMLY, MAKING SURE THAT ALL EXPOSED SKIN IS COVERED.

A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES OF AT LEAST 25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

It really is COLD. I went outside to clean the snow off my car this morning and even though I bundled up...hat, scarf, hood, down coat, boots and gloves, when I came inside my cheeks were bright red! LOL! But it is January afterall. :)

Here's a few photos I took outside today...well, the icicle photo with the blue sky in the background, I took from a window inside, lol. The other icicle photo is the same group of icicles but taken from outside. :) The little Arborvitea trees are in our side yard.

Okay, on to some fun business! Yesterday, my friend Carolyn awarded me with a FABBY BLOG AWARD! In light of this, I'd like to thank the Academy... lol. For real, thanks Carolyn!!

So here's the deal - I list 5 of my addictions and then give this award to 5 FABBY gals with FABBY BLOGS!! ;) So here goes, my addictions:

1. Photography
2. Siesta Key, FL
3. Drinking water
4. Internet
5. My scrap stash

And my nominees are...

Dawn McVey
Adora Concepcion
Nikki Workman
Nora Griffin
Leslie Farmer

These are all blogs that I love to read, make me smile and inspire me in one way or another! :) Stop by and give them a visit!

How's everyone doing on their Project 365? Still taking photos daily? I'm still pluggin' away and keeping up!

That's it for tonight! Stay warm! :)

American Idol...

2009-01-13T22:08:00.001-05:00

Come on, who watched it?!? I've watched it since the first season and this season is no different! I must say, I'm glad they're not showing as many of the audition shows. They can get a bit redundant, yes?

Here's my little tribute to tonight's season premier...nothing like a few crappy photos taken of the tv! LOL!!

*click for a ginormous view, lol.

I loved the last contestant who was blind. Very inspiring and a wonderful voice to boot!

What did you think of the new judge, Kara? I don't think I cared either way. I don't think she added anything to the show either way.

That's all I've got tonight. Thanks for poppin' in! :)

Oh oh oh...I scrapped a layout today but I need to print my photos. :) It felt good to get back to it!

It's HERE!

2009-01-12T21:02:00.004-05:00

I am so excited! For the last several days, I've been tracking my Becky Higgins 365 Kit and it arrived on my doorstep today!! I am REALLY happy I spent the money on it and I think even more than that, I'm lucky to have been able to successfully order one and receive it. After the ordering process mess, I'm glad I went for it.

The minute it came today, I opened it up and spread out all the contents. Wow! The colors of all the funsies, the journaling cards, the transparencies, the album and page protectors, the ribbon, the date stamp, the 12x12 papers, the stickers, the month by month transparencies, weekly cards and the storage is CRAZY AWESOME!!! I can't to put my first set of photos (which I picked up at Walmart today) in the page protectors and embellish! This is going to be a fun project!

Gee...I wonder what my photo for today will be. ;)

Hope your Monday was/is a good one! :)

Not Done With Christmas Yet...

2009-01-11T18:53:00.008-05:00

I know...it's January 11th and you'd think the Christmas posts would be coming to an end. They are. I promise. ;)

Each Christmas our family (well, the girls) decides on a wrapping paper theme whether it's a color combination, pattern or icon. We went with a color theme this year and settled on red, black, grey and white. Each of us girls took a roll of paper from a coordinating collection that my mom found and wrapped our gifts in it. I chose a roll that had red, black and grey snowflakes on white.

Since I didn't do any scrapping during the holidays, I was getting the itch to get creative. While wrapping Christmas gifts, I fed my need to scrap by making all my gift tags. It felt good to dig in my stash and use whatever worked.

Here's some of the tags I made. Excuse the photos and *gasp* the use of flash in a couple. Crappy weather, overcast, gloomy days didn't help things. ;)

I ended up using papers from Dream Street, American Crafts, g.c.d Studios and maybe some Luxe. The only thing I bought that wasn't in my stash was a few rolls of red and black hemp cord.

I found this santa suit gift card tutorial and loved it so much I made a couple for gift card stocking stuffers. There's supposed to be white on the collar but I left it off.

Hope you're having a good Sunday! Thanks for stopping by! :)

A little bit of everything...photo heavy

2009-01-10T13:05:00.015-05:00

Lots of things to share today. It seems as though I'm loving blogging these days. :)

I am so excited to get my Becky Higgins 365 kit (yep, I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get one in my cart and checkout...well, it took 30 minutes, but I'm not comlaining)! I just tracked it via UPS and it'll officially arrive on Monday! I've kept up with my photo taking and finished editing them last night. And since there will be so many photos, I'm going to avoid printing them from home. I'll upload them to Walmart (LOVE their matte finish) and pick them up each weekend. And if all goes as planned, I'll post each completed week's photos (maybe not all, but some) here either Saturday or Sunday. It happens to be Saturday this week. So, here's my photos from Jan. 1st to Jan. 9th.

Hanging of the new calendar...palm trees, beach and ocean scenes of course...

Even a few days after Christmas, still enjoying my new Il Divo album...

Finally made my famous Frosted Sugar Cookies that I didn't make on Christmas Eve. (I combined two of my vertical photos in PSE to make a single 4x6 photo to fit in the horizontal pockets in the 365 kit.)

Made a few Christmas thank-you's...

Purged and organized a guestroom closet with the contents going to Goodwill...

Sat and enjoyed watching Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) like I always do...

Dan playing a little Wii Mario Kart...

A beautiful snow day. I took the photo from our upstairs bathroom window...

Running around doing a few errands including the post office...

Remember this Christmas planner I made? Well, I made full use of it during my Christmas shopping trips! At the end of the season, it was stuffed full of receipts, gift cards and Christmas lists. I took it with me into every store I went and in the car. I really loved that I made this and was happy it turned into something so functional.

And while cleaning up my Christmas decorations, I sat down and went through all the Christmas cards I received. With the economy and everyone cutting back, I thought for sure I wouldn't receive many cards in return. I made 110+ cards this year and ended up getting 62 cards in return!! Can anyone say Christmas spirit?!?

I keep all the cards I receive in this container I bought at Target a few years ago. It's whitewashed metal with a plaque on the front that says "Christmas Cards". In the bottom of the container, I put artifical pine greenery with a few sprigs of faux holly berries on the side and I just love it.

One day I received 10 cards in my mailbox! The most I'd receive in one day during the season. :)

Hope you're enjoying your Saturday! Thanks for stopping by!

Oh and by the way...what is up with the spacing (or lack of) between sentences on Blogger sometimes? Annoying! Anyone have any ideas?

Just for fun...

2009-01-09T20:36:00.006-05:00

Completely lifted this from my friend Jolene's blog. :)

While you're supposed to bold the activities you've done and italicize 5 activities you'd like to do the most someday, I took the easy way out and basically answered yay or nay with a few sidenotes, lol. ;)

Feel free to snatch and make it your own. Leave me a comment when you've blogged yours! I'd love to see your list!

1. Started my own blog – Hellooo?
2. Slept under the stars – Yes
3. Played in a band – Nope
4. Visited Hawaii – Oh, how I wish. Someday!
5. Watched a meteor shower – Nope
6. Given more than I can afford to charity – Nope, but I do give.
7. Been to Disneyworld/land - Nope & no desire to.
8. Climbed a mountain – I've been on mountains, but never actually climbed, lol.
9. Held a praying mantis - Nope, but have photographed.
10. Sung a solo – Not sure.
11. Bungee jumped – Nope. I'm a skeeried cat.
12. Visited Paris – Nope
13. Watched lightning at sea – Yes. Eerie but cool!
14. Taught myself an art from scratch – Yes!
15. Adopted a child – Nope
16. Had food poisoning – Ugh. Papa John's.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty – Nope
18. Grown my own vegetables – Yes - peppers, tomatoes & cukes
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France – Nope
20. Slept on an overnight train – Nope
21. Had a pillow fight – Yes
22. Hitchhiked – NO WAY!
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill – Does a bear sleep in the woods?
24. Built a snow fort – MANY times with my brother and sister!
25. Held a lamb – Hmm, don't think so.
26. Gone skinny dipping – Nope
27. Run a marathon – Good gravy, no.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice – Nope
29. Seen a total eclipse – Yes and took lots of photos!
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – Absolutely!
31. Hit a home run – Yes
32. Been on a cruise – Nope. Another no desire to.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person – Yes
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors – Nope, but it'd be cool to!
35. Seen an Amish community – Seen many an Amish, but not a community.
36. Taught myself a new language – Hubby and I are learning Spanish!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – Satisfied!
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person – Nope
39. Gone rock climbing – Nope
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David – Nope
41. Sung karaoke – Yes
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt – Nope
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant – Nope
44. Visited Africa – Nope
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight – Yes and it was too dark! LOL!
46. Been transported in an ambulance – No
47. Had my portrait painted – LOL, no!
48. Gone deep sea fishing – Nope
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person – Nope
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – Nope, but my best friend got engaged there!
51. Gone scube diving or snorkeling – Nope. Skeeried cat!
52. Kissed in the rain – Yes
53. Played in the mud – Yes
54. Gone to a drive-in theater – Yes
55. Been in a movie – Nope
56. Visited the Great Wall of China – Nope
57. Started a business – Yes, thanks to my sister-n-law
58. Taken a martial arts class – Nope
59. Visited Russia – Nope
60. Served at a soup kitchen – Nope
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies – Yes, when I was a Girl Scout!
62. Gone whale watching – Nope
63. Got flowers for no reason – Many times!
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma – Nope
65. Gone sky diving – Yikes, no!
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp – Nope
67. Bounced a check – Yep, when I was young.
68. Flown in a helicopter – Not 100% but I think I did over the Smokies when I was younger?
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – Cabbage Patch dolls
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial – Nope
71. Eaten caviar – Yuck-o-rama. No.
72. Pieced a quilt – Nope
73. Stood in Times Square – Nope
74. Toured the Everglades – Nope
75. Been fired from a job – Yes, one time when I was young.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London – Nope
77. Broken a bone – Never
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - Yes, a long time ago.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person – Does flying over it count?
80. Published a book – Nope, but my scrap work has been published!
81. Visited the Vatican – Nope
82. Bought a brand new car – Never brand new.
83. Walked in Jerusalem – Nope, but what a wonderful experience it'd be!
84. Had my picture in the newspaper – Yes
85. Read the entire Bible – Nope
86. Visited the White House – Nope
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – Yuck. No.
88. Had chickenpox – Yes
89. Saved someone's life – Nope
90. Sat on a jury – Nope
91. Met someone famous – Nope, but went to a wedding where Tom Cruise's cousin was, lol.
92. Joined a book club – Nope
93. Lost a loved one – Yes. :(
94. Had a baby – Nope
95. Seen the Alamo in person – Nope
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake – Nope
97. Been involved in a law suit - Nope
98. Owned a cell phone – Yes
99. Been stung by a bee – Yes. Ouch. Baking soda paste please!
100. Ridden an elephant – Nope

Kind of fun, huh?!

2009-01-05T22:35:00.013-05:00

Finally, a new banner design with fresh photos...all taken in Siesta Key, FL. Shocking, I know. ;) New music too!

2009 is off and running and all is well in my world thus far. I even managed to write "2009" on a check today and not 2008. It seems like it usually takes me a couple months to get in the groove of writing the new year, but maybe not this year.

I'm trying to get back in the swing of scrapping. I haven't scrapped a layout since the middle of November and it seems like forever. I've done quite a few cards and I enjoyed getting back into my stash even if it wasn't creating layouts. Even still, I'm ready for some layout challenges to light my fire.

I made a few Christmas thank-yous this weekend that were sent to a neighbor who brought us cookies, my sister-n-law's mother who snuck Bath & Body lotion into my stocking and to a sweet, scrappy buddy who sent me lots of scrappy funsies! ;) And just to get myself up and running, I more or less lifted this design by Tami Hartley. I absolutely LOVE my Cuttlebug embossing folders! The texture they add is just amazing and I think that's what sold me on lifting the design.

So, who out there is excited about Becky Higgin's 365 kit? Luckily, I was able to order a kit even though the checkout process took a LONG time, but I eventually got checked out and received my confirmation email. Hope it actually arrives! Who knows after that mess though, lol! If not, I'll deal with it. ;) I've got all my photos in a folder on my computer and am editing along the way. I think it'll be a VERY COOL project at the end of the year. How fun to review the year and see all the little things we/I did each day. Sounds like something I'll treasure for a long time!
'Til next time...thanks for stopping!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T21:43:00.006-05:00

I feel like I should be all nostalgic and pouring over the last year's events, but naaa, don't think I will. :)

Instead, I'll just say that I'm looking forward to seeing where the new year will take me. I'm thinking it has to be good, right?

Looks like CNN is starting their '08 wrapup. I love those. This year I'll be watching the ball drop with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. Should be a couple of laughs in there! :) And is it just me or is watching the ball drop without Dick Clark just not the same?

Wishing you all a wonderful night tonight and a New Year '09 that's your best yet!

A few more cards...

2008-12-27T16:25:00.011-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Santa brought you everything you asked for. :)

I had a nice Christmas and am looking forward to enjoying the rest of the season through New Year's! I always grew up with our Christmas tree up until New Year's and sometimes a day or two after that. That's how hubby and I do it in our house too. It seems to make the season last longer that way. ;) While driving home on Christmas night, after being with my in-laws, I saw that someone had already stripped their tree and threw it out on the boulevard, lol! I was like...aww, that poor tree! LOL! But, we all do things differently than the other and that's what makes the world go 'round, right? ;) It's all good.

Thought I'd share the cards I made for hubby's tellers this year. I made a little pocket on the inside of the card to hold a gift card. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on the green paper and used up a package of Making Memories rubs. Yay for getting in the stash! I also found the wiggly eyes that are girlie - with eyelashes, lol! I had to use those! I kept the envies simple with a stamped tree and the girl's name.

And I've got to give credit to Lisa @ Hero Arts for the owl/scarf idea. It was too cute not to try myself. I ended up liking these cards so much that it might be choice for my general Christmas cards next year. We'll see if I still love owls like I do now...and if I feel like doing 120 of them. ;)

So, what do you think of my white background now? I've always had black but it seems like when I go to other blogs, the black background/white text is harder to read. I don't know. It it just me? I think I'll try it out and see how I like it. Change is always good. Also need to get those darn photos in my banner updated! I've been saying that forever it seems. I'm ready for some freshness.

I'll leave you with the reminder that my friend Maryfrances' "store closing sale" is still going on. The entire store is 50% off and there's still plenty of great funsies left to be bought! Check it out! Happy shopping!

Until the next time...

My Christmas Card Factory...

2008-12-16T00:23:00.004-05:00

*Whew* Finito. 110+ Christmas cards this year. Handmade by moi and I took photos along the way. :) Click for a large view.

50+ pieces of cardstock
Tons of patterned paper - Scenic Route, American Crafts, My Mind's Eye
1+ roll of 3M ATG Gold adhesive
1 Jet Black StazOn ink pad
150"+ hemp cord and paper cord
Stampin' Up Curly Label Punch Set
Stampin' Up Spiral Notebook Punch
Art Declassified Photographic Bimbi Christmas stamp (their photograph stamps rock!)
Studio G "Tis The Season To Be Jolly" stamp
Studio G " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" stamp
CI Art Warehouse/Danelle Johnson Holiday Interactive Circle Stamps
Fiskars "Season's Greeting" stamp
Marvy Giga Scalloped Circle Punch
Martha Stewart Scallop Dot Edge Punch (border punch)
American Crafts Slick Writers that never seem to run out! LOVE THEM!
Major use of my bone folder
Replacement trimmer blade - yep, dulled it right out
My envie stash completely depleted (I might have 4 envies left, lol)
Stamped sentiment on the inside (various)
"Handcrafted for you" stamp on the back

That's a lot of love from my scrap stash and like last year, I really enjoyed the process!

My international ones were sent out early last week and all my out-of-state and local ones were in the mail by last weekend.

Now I need to find the top of my table again. :)

Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season!

Tis the season...

2008-12-13T23:17:00.007-05:00

This week has been Christmas party week for us (okay, only two, lol). On Tuesday we went to hubby's work Christmas party. It was nice, but you know how it goes...it was a work party. ;) But, it was just fun being together, all dressed up and feeling the season happening around us.

This evening we went to my BIL and SIL's Christmas party. They have one every year and it's really nice. Tonight there were tall, lit candles surrounded with cranberries and nestled in a mason jars lining the steps up to the front door, a big, beautiful table full of finger foods, crock pots filled with yummy things, a house full of family and friends, talking and laughing, white lights, garland sprinkled with red, glittery balls and gold ribbon, mistletoe hanging in the archway and an all-around festive time. The only thing missing is a bit of snow. ;)

I also finished writing out my Christmas cards this week. I made around 110 this year and had a tough time nailing down my design, so I ended with like 5 different styles, lol! More to come about those in a future post. ;) I took photos along the way of my factory process, lol.

And while we're talking about crafty things, I also made this Christmas planner. It was super quick and I have all my family's Christmas lists inside and a receipt envie, waiting to finish my shopping. I haven't scrapped in a couple weeks, so it felt good to get into my stash. You can find the tutorial here.

*here comes the randomness*

I am so super excited because I'm typing this post up on my new laptop!! It came yesterday and I was able to set up my wireless connection, my email and have already loaded my Photoshop Elements and some other software that I often used on my desktop. I ordered a Dell on Black Friday weekend and got quite a deal! I haven't seen a better deal since then. Ohh...and I ordered it in Expresso Brown. It's gorgeous! :) Now I just need to see if I can get my printer in my wireless network. That might not be fun or easy, lol.

As I'm sitting here typing this, hubby has It's A Wonderful Life on tv. It's one of our favorite Christmas movies! Ahhh, George Bailey and Mary. We've already watched Elf (LOVE LOVE that movie!), Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph...well, I didn't watch Frosty or Rudolph all the way through, but they were on while I was fondling my new piece of technology. ;) Now we're just waiting to see A Christmas Story - you'll shoot your eye out! ROFL! It's not Christmas without watching that one!

Tonight before we went to the Christms party, I made a batch of Chocolate Toffee Almond Bark to take as a host/hostess gift and it turned out really good! It's super quick and even though you need a little patience (and a good candy thermometer) for the boiling process, it was worth it! I filled a clear cellophane bag and tied it with a couple different Christmas ribbons and it was good to go. I should have taken a photo, but didn't think of it. I saved a few pieces for us at home, of course. :)

Speaking of recipes, I made a batch of Magic Bars this week. I haven't had them since I was little as far as I can remember. They were really good and didn't last long! It sure puts me in the mood to do some Christmas baking!

Allright, that's it for me tonight. Night night!

STORE CLOSING - 50% off!

2008-11-26T22:35:00.008-05:00

50% 0ff Everything, Everything must go!** Price in cart reflects discount. Limited to in stock merchandise only. Not valid on furniture, gift certificates, or SBO classes. No backorders! While we do our best to keep the inventory accurate if an item is out of stock a full refund will be issued for that item and you will be notified at the time of shipping.Free Shipping for all orders over $100

It's not a fun post, that's for sure. I've been a member at Scrapbooker Online for 3+ years now and have placed many orders in Maryfrances' store. Unfortunately, she's closing the doors of the store, but fortunately for you everything is 50% off! I know...bittersweet.

The good news is that the message boards and gallery will still be the same and all are welcome as usual! Come and get to know a sista or two and upload your work into the gallery - we'd love to see!

On another note, I'd like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. We'll be spending time with hubby's parents in the early afternoon before heading to my parent's for dinner with my sister, brother and their families (all my sweet little nephews!). Tomorrow is a day to be thankful for all the big things but especially all the little things in life. I love Thanksgiving for that alone, as well as how it seems Thanksgiving is the ushering in of all the holiday goodness. Just love that feeling of the coming month!

Enjoy the holiday with whomever you're spending it with and I challenge you to take a little moment in all the hustle and bustle to look around and soak it all up. And for all of you scrapbookers out there, don't forget your camera! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

On a side note - thanks to everyone who left me a comment with your special Christmas traditions! Our family will be going through all of them and hope to pick up a few! :)

Christmas traditions...

2008-11-24T08:44:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! Yeah, I know...it's been a long time, so just settle down, lol! First of all, I have to give a shout-out to my friend, Marjorie. She helped me switch over from old Blogger to the new Blogger and it's sooooooooooo much easier now! Love my Marjorie!

Can you believe that Turkey Day is almost here?! I can already smell my mom's kitchen with all the traditional smells of her sweet potatoes, dressing (do you call it dressing or stuffing?), mashed potatoes, turkey (turkey breasts in my family), 5 cup salad, cranberry relish and on and on! I'm ready to eat and ready for a day with family. :)

So, back to the subject on hand. I need your ideas! Our family is looking to start a few new Christmas traditions this year as we need something fresh! That's where you come into the picture. I would love to hear what you and your family do for Christmas. What do you do on Christmas Eve? How do you go about Christmas morning? Special foods, appetizers or meals you always have (please share your recipe if you'd like!)? What do your kids do (or what did you do as a child)? Do you read a special book or maybe the Christmas story? Do you sit and make a craft? I would LOVE your input and hope to incorporate some new traditions for our family!

I'm hoping to start my Christmas cards today although I still need to narrow down my design. As of now, I have 2 designs and I might just go with both and do half and half. I have all my supplies out and I just keep staring at the pile wondering when I'm going to get going. Sometimes I do think less is more...naa, maybe not. ;) Last year it took me about a week to make 132, so all I know is I better get busy!

I also need to freshen up my photos in my header up there...maybe a little Christmas. :)

Under construction...

2008-10-17T18:53:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to spruce this place up! Be back soon! :)

WINNER!

2008-10-07T17:40:00.005-04:00

Thanks to everyone who left a comment for a chance to win my fall/Halloween giveaway! The lucky random winner is:

Wendy said...
What a great giveaway! What I love about this fall season, is that I finally get to celebrate going to the pumpkin patch, picking up fall leaves, and dressing up for Halloween with our new daughter that we adopted from China this year. We have always loved this season anyways but to now have a daughter to share the experiences with, makes those fall moments even sweeter! The pumpkins seem to be more orange, the leaves seem to be more vibrant, and life is just plain fun with her around!
11:40 PM

Congrats Wendy and thanks for visiting my blog! :) I'll be contacting you for you mailing addy so I can get this out right away!

And since these giveaways are so fun, look for another soon! Have a great night everyone!

Fall/Halloween GIVEAWAY & Happy World Card Making Day!!

2008-10-04T11:27:00.009-04:00

I know, I know - I need no reminder on how long it's been since I posted, but life has been a little different lately. All is going to be fine though - I just know it. Anyway, I'm back and what's better than a giveaway on World Card Making Day!?

If you'd like a chance to win this little fall/Halloween bundle that includes Teresa Collins 8x8 Halloween papers (double-sided!), felt embellies, various chipboard pieces, ribbons & trims ect, just leave me a comment telling me what you love about the fall season! I will be picking a winner on Tuesday, Oct 7th!! Click on the image for a ginormous view! LOL!

In the meantime, feel free to stop by SBO (Scrapbooker Online) today and join in our fun card challenges and activities today! We'd love to have you!

Have a fun day creating and I promise you'll see me around here more often! :)

30% OFF SALE!!

2008-07-22T12:00:00.004-04:00

Anyone in the mood to shop? Check it out!

30% OFF EVERYTHING* at Scrapbooker Online!

July 21- August 1, 2008

Use the coupon code July08sale when you check out.

NOTE: Coupon code is for 20% off retail on all in stock merchandise. The 30% off total reflects the sale coupon and our already 10% off every day at SBO.

*Furniture and rolling carts are excluded

ALL CLEARANCE ITEMS INCLUDED!

Have fun!!

NEW WINNER CHOSEN

2008-07-18T22:44:00.004-04:00

Allright people...only one of the gals who won in my giveaway emailed me. I'd really like to get this mailed out, so again, using a random generator I have a new winner and it is...

Katie - Fiskateer #4052 said...
Love the idea of the custom word books! I can think of tons of words that I "need"! LOL!! I love your "medium" album you made - the pictures are gorgeous! Thanks for the RAK!
Katie
10:14 PM

Please email me at sunnysanddollar@gmail.com to claim your Clear Scraps book from my stash! You even have a choice, so shoot me an email and we'll go from there. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week. I keep thinking of everyone at CHA and how they must be having a wonderful time. Wish I could have went with Clear Scraps but my foot couldn't have taken it. :(

I need to go to Donna's blog and see if she's doing the flip phone videos like she did at CHA Winter this year (assuming she's at CHA now). Those are hysterical!

Have a great weekend!

Giveaway winners!

2008-07-14T21:14:00.008-04:00

First of all I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to all of you (I feel like I'm making my "emmy" speech or something, lol) who took the time to visit my blog, leave wonderful and kind comments, look at my projects and of course participate in my giveaway! What a terrific turnout it was! And because I received WAY OVER 40 comments (wow, I was blown away!), as promised I'm giving away a Clear Scraps album from my stash!

One more thing, I'll be uploading one last Clear Scraps sneak peek tomorrow, so stay tuned! It's a fun one and is JUST now being released! Brand spankin' new!

Soooo, using an online random number generator the two winners are #75 and #93...

...which means the winner of the Clear Scraps Custom Wordbook is #75 and that is..

Amber said...
The new custom wordbooks are SO cool! The example just made me want to scoop them up ASAP! Beautiful beach scenes!
1:29 PM

...and the winner of the Clear Scraps album from my stash is #93 and that is...

Carole said...
LOVE the colors of your album , so nice to look at and so summer !
8:38 PM

Amber, please email me your mailing addy as well as your word choice (up to 8 letters) at sunnysanddollar@gmail.com and I'll pass the information onto Clear Scraps so they can get it out to you.

Carole, please email me as well and we can go from there...

Thanks again everyone! This was really fun and don't forget to check out the Clear Scraps booth (#4124) at CHA, July 18th - 20th!

WOW!!!

2008-07-10T00:36:00.002-04:00

120+ comments so far for the Clear Scraps Custom Wordbook giveaway (see below post)! Thanks to everyone who has stopped by for a visit thus far!! The turnout has been amazing! The deadline is July 13th @ midnight EST, so there's still plenty of time!

Several of you have asked questions and I've responded to many of you via email. I promise to get to the rest of them as well. Also, thanks to those who have shared their Clear Scraps projects with me! They've been fun to look at!

Also wanted to say thanks to any and all who have made my Clear Scraps die-cut album a place on Two Peas In a Bucket's "Top 10 Gallery Items by Votes"! I was over there tonight and couldn't believe another one of my projects made another Top 10 list! How fun!

Hope you're having a great week!

BIG RAK and another Clear Scraps Sneak Peek!

2008-07-07T13:53:00.018-04:00

Okay, so I'm still working myself up to a "big fat post", but for now let's talk about the Clear Scrap's new Custom Wordbooks and the BIG RAK I talked about in my previous post...

As I've said, Clear Scraps is releasing their *NEW* Custom Wordbooks (see examples of their pre-made Wordbooks here)at Summer CHA and seriously, it's an awesome idea! How many times have you wanted something that's made especially for you, especially if you're a scrapper. I know I have! Well, now you can! You can custom choose your word with a limit of 8 letters. If you choose 2 seperate words (keeping the 8 letter max. in mind) they'll include a spacer as well. Whether you'd like a Wordbook using your state, city or country's name, favorite vacation spot (Florida, Disney, Las Vegas, Bahamas etc), your child's name, a family last name, college, sports - whatever the case it's personalized for you or even someone else. What a fun gift for someone!

We'd love to encourage you to let your LSS owner know about these and ask them to stock them! It's a truly unique idea that's new to the scrap world and the fact that it's so custom is exciting!! Spread the word!

On to the RAK! Everyone has a chance to win! Leave me a comment and hey, if by chance you've scrapped a Clear Scraps project, link me! I've love to see! You don't have to have scrapped a Clear Scraps project to win though, just leave me a comment! Each person who leaves me a comment will be entered into a random drawing. One winner will be chosen to receive their very own CLEAR SCRAPS CUSTOM WORDBOOK (up to 8 letters of course)!!

You may only enter ONE time.

BONUS: If I receive 40+ comments, I'll do a second drawing and that winner will receive a Clear Scraps mini album from my own stash!

Comments will be accepted until Sunday July 13th at midnight EST. The Custom Wordbook will be shipped to the winner directly from Clear Scraps headquarters in Illinois.

So, let the commenting begin! :)

Allright, this is my last and final Clear Scraps sneak peek! Using 2 different designs of the *NEW* XL die-cut shapes (I cut them in half), I made this mini (or should I say medium!) album showcasing my love of Florida's Siesta Key and surrounding areas. All photographs were taken by me using a Canon 30d DSLR.

Keep in mind that Clear Scraps acrylic can be punched (super smoothly and always without a single crack!), sewn through using a regular sewing machine (see the front cover!) or hand-stitched, inked, alcohol-inked, hand-cut and more! It's the most durable, flexible acrylic out there!

Oh and by the way...the Clear Scraps calendar I made was on Two Peas' Top 10 By Views list yesterday! YAY me and yay to my fellow scrappers (whomever you may be!) who have "viewed" it over there! Thanks! ;)

AND, last but DEFINITELY not least - a shout out to my super sweet friend, Marjorie! Happy Birthay to you. Hope your day is as special as you are. ((HUGS))!

CLEAR SCRAPS SNEAK PEEKS!

2008-07-04T20:56:00.011-04:00

Okay, so you're still going to have to wait for the "big fat post". Cut me some slack, it's CHA season! ;) I WILL do it next week though. I've already started the draft, lol.

First and foremost, as I said it's CHA season so I have a few Clear Scraps projects to share with you (will share more later!)! I've linked a few of the releases and will link the rest once they're on the website. Clear Scrap's summer release is full of new goodies including:

Custom Wordbooks - you order the letters (up to 8) for the word you'd like as your book. If you'd like to do something like "My Boys" or "Fun Times" or whatever, they give you a spacer to use between words. Very cool!

XL Shapes - these are all between 11.5" - 12" (approx.) and come in a variety of shapes:

Circle

Heart

Funky Heart

2 different kind of brackets

Flower

Postage stamp

2 different die-cut shapes (one scalloped and one not - similiar to this shape as well one that has a scalloped-type edge- sorry, no official name this shape yet, but I LOVE it!)

And maybe even a couple more shapes. I don't have the complete list, sorry!

And last but not least, a standing frame (see calendar below) as well as an easel. So, lots to choose from and the XL size is awesome!

I made this clock using the XL circle shapes. There are 2 circle shapes back to back behind the clock as well as one covering the front. The only thing that is exposed is the hardware on the front.

For this project, I used a Clear Scraps Frame, I took all the tabbed pages from (3) 6x6

Tab Albums (12 pages total for the 12 months), punched holes in the frame (to use as a display stand) with my Crop A Dile and attached the rings and tabbed pages for a 12 month flip calendar! I'm happy with how this turned out and mostly because it's functional. I'm not much of an alterer because I don't care to have stuff hanging around. If it's functional, I'm happy. :)

This is how it started...all nekked and everything, lol.

SIDE VIEW

FRONT

NOTES - On the back of each calendar page for me to write notes/birthdays/holidays etc.

CALENDAR PAGE VIEW

To make this layout, I used a pair of XL Brackets and a 12x12 acrylic sheet (it's a clear lo, not white). The photo is one that I took of one of the lifeguard towers on Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, FL.

That's it for now, but more to come! Stay tuned for a Clear Scraps RAK opportunity! Enjoy your Saturday!

BIG FAT POST....

2008-07-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

...coming tomorrow! Neener neener! ;)

Scrapbooker Online's July Contest: FREEDOM!

2008-07-02T22:00:00.003-04:00

July 2008 Contest: FREEDOM!!

To participate in Scrapbooker Online's July contest please submit a layout that expresses what freedom means to you – does not have to be 4th of July related Freedom but something you have been set free from or want to be set free from (goal related)... the inspiration is endless!

CONTEST RULES:
*1 or 2 page layouts will be accepted, 12x12 or 8 ½ x 11 in size.
* No previously published work will be accepted.
* Open to US residents only.
*All images will be displayed in our monthly contest gallery.
* Please include a supply list & journaling.
* Our winner will be notified by e-mail and must respond within 2 weeks of notification.
* Winner will be announced in our monthly newsletter and on our site.
* Winning Layout: Our Design Team will select one winning layout.
* The winner of this contest will receive $25.00 Scrapbooker Online gift certificate.
* All entries must be received / posted in the SBO gallery between July 1, 2008 and July 29, 2008 (never posted in the SBO gallery previously.)
* Only ONE submission per person will be accepted.
* Submissions can be made by emailing July2008Contest@scrapbookeronline.com or by uploading it to the "Freedom" contest gallery.

Personally, I LOVE how broad this topic is! Can't wait to see all the entries! Good luck!

Brilliant rub-on storage...

2008-05-07T12:00:00.004-04:00

I absolutely LOVE this idea and have never heard of it until now! Found this little informational nugget on Crystal Jeffrey Rieger's (Memory Makers Masters 2007) blog and I can hardly wait to dig into my rubs and break out my stapler!

You know how it goes...you have a fresh sheet of rubs and over time you end up using a few and before long your sheet is all cut up and it's a total pain to get back in the package? Oh and you know what else happens...half of them end of rubbing off and getting wrecked.

CHECK THIS OUT! I love anything that helps me with my scrappy storage!

National Scrapbooking Day!!

2008-05-02T14:04:00.006-04:00

Come and join us at Scrapbooker Online for a weekend of scrapping, challenges, games, store sales and prizes!!! Everyone is welcome! :)

Scrapbooker Online's DT Search is ON!

2008-04-29T10:17:00.006-04:00

Scrapbooker Online, your one stop on the internet for scrapbooking supplies and ideas will be hiring a new Design Team for July –December 2008. Come join one of the most creative teams on the net.

Search Timeline:
• June 8th: Application due.
• June12th: Notification of new team.
• July 1st: New team starts.

You will be asked to submit three pieces of your work. You will also be asked to submit a written essay, no more than a paragraph explaining why you want to be a part of the SBO team and what interesting ideas/challenges.activities you would bring to our site.

Project Submission:
Your three projects needing to be submitted should cover the following themes or ideas

1. Show us your most favorite layout or project. Show us something you are super proud of and will allow us to see your style and work at its best.
2. Create a layout depicting a challenge or contest you would bring to SBO. Create the ideal layout that would win a particular contest. Or create a layout that would fit for a weekly challenge you would hold at SBO.
3. Show us a non layout project (altered item, mini book, card set or other non layout type of project)

Design Team Member Responsibilities:
• 6 month term appointment.
• Responsible for at least 4 layouts or projects a month, using supplies provided by Scrapbooker Online or manufacturer sponsor.
• All work uploaded must be of the best quality. Images or scans of work must be clean, crisp and of the best quality. You will be responsible for cropping and editing work before it is uploaded.
• Must maintain a consistent presence in our discussion forums and in our gallery.
• Each of the Design Team members will be responsible for at least 2 articles to be published on our site and in our newsletter during their 6 month term. This article will be coordinated through the DT Coordinators.
• Collaboration with other DT members on monthly layout contests or challenges, games, cybercrops, online chats or team meetings when needed.
• Responsible for QOTD (question of the day) once a week. Schedule to be agreed upon by team.

Team Expectations further explanation:

Comments in the gallery and on our Message Boards-
These comments need to be meaningful, thoughtful and appreciated by our members.

It is our goal at SBO to have members begin forum posts and to have members keep the boards alive. But, it takes the DT's presence and creativity to move things along. Your presene is seen by either posting new threads and/or commenting to posts already made

Newsletter Reveals (Twice a month)-
It is your responsibility as a team member to keep up on monthly assignments and to upload work to the gallery when scheduled. Your work will be used in each of the bi-weekly newsletters.. These assignments will be posted in the DT forum.

NL Articles-
You will be responsible for some type of monthly NL participation. This may be in the form of gallery work being featured or some type of paper craft how-to or DT member spotlight.

Challenges, Contests, Cybercrop work
Your assignments and schedule will be mutually agreed upon by all team members.

QOTD
You will be responsible for one question each week. Schedule to be determined and agreed upon by the team.

Restrictions:
• Other site DT positions are acceptable along with Manufacturers DT positions.

While our selection process is underway we do expect to get to know you. Please come and introduce yourself to our members. Join in our challenges and hang out in our message boards. We want you to get to know our members and team. By getting to know you will allow us to make the best selection and fit for our team and the members of Scrapbooker Online.

Good luck ladies! Let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to meeting you and seeing your wonderful work.

PLEASE SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO Maryfrances Fabbri, SBO owner, at dtsearch@scrapbookeronline.com NO later then June 8th

Clear Scraps strikes again!

2008-04-26T16:29:00.003-04:00

It's that time again! I'm back with a few Clear Scraps projects!

This first one is a layout that I scrapped on a Clear Scraps 12x12 Blank Acrylic Sheet. I love how it changes what would have been an ordinary cardstock layout into something completely fresh and new!

There's also a Clear Scraps Scalloped Circle Frame shape that I covered in Magic Mesh. I love Clear Scrap's shape assortment! And talk about versatility!

SUPPLIES:
Acrylic: Clear Scraps 12x12 blank acrylic sheet
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Sultry
Stickers: Basic Grey Elements
Clear shape: Clear Scraps Scalloped Circle Frame
Magic Mesh (Forest Green)
Adhesive: Zip Dry, Glue Dots & AdTech tape runner
DMC floss (brown)
Alphabet stickers: American Crafts
Machine stitching
Misc brad (small)

This is a quick card I made by running a piece of the Clear Scraps 12x12 Blank Acrylic Sheet through my Sizzix using a tree die. To add color to the acrylic, I inked the trunk and leaves with StazOn ink. Drys quick and gives the acrylic a pop of color!

SUPPLIES:
Acrylic: Clear Scraps Blank Acrylic Sheet
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Pheobe
Ribbon: May Arts Satin Reversible Ribbon
Ink: StazOn (Timber Brown, Cactus Green)
Alphabet letters: Basic Grey
Adhesive: Tombo Mono Liquid Glue, Adtech tape runner
Sizzix: Tree die

Last but certainly not least - a Clear Scraps Dog Bone Album. How cute is the shape of this? And again, the sizes of the different Clears Scraps albums are so generous! This album is 5" x10"! Plenty of room for full sized photos, patterned paper and all the funsies!

This album is centered around my husband and I's 8 year old Pug, Beijing. She's such a fun part of our very tiny family! :)

Journaling:
Beijing Ling Patrizio...you are so much a part of our little family! You are a true and loyal friend and you love to be around us! Whether you're out barking on the porch, smelling or eating my potted herbs, you love the outdoors! Taking a walk (and even the mention of the work "walk") makes you so happy! Even when we're playing games you want to be a part of our fun. I mean really...who knew a pug could play Rummy?

You and your sweater do not get along very well. From the minute I brought it home you fought that thing with all that you had. Of course I thought it was the cutest little dog sweater ever! It's taken a few years but now I can get it on you without much fuss! And thanks to you, I always have a willing subject to practice my photography skills on! You are the queen of this house!

Thank you for...
Never judging me
Protecting me
Always being happy to see me
Laying under my chair
Always comforting me when I'm sad
Following me wherever I go
Listening to me w/an open heart
Making me feel so loved!

SUPPLIES:
Album: Clear Scraps Dog Bone Album
Patterned Paper: KI Memories (Love, Elsie), Basic Grey Recess, Basic Grey Blitzen, My Mind's Eye, Scenic Route Background Papers, Teresa Collins
Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View
Chipboard: Maya Road, Scenic Route, Heidi Swapp, Cosmo Cricket
Buttons: American Crafts
Dies/Die-cutting machine: Sizzix
Felt: Queen & Co. Brown Dogs
Ribbon: Offray, misc
Flowers: Petaloo, Sizzix
Bling: Glitz Design Frosting
Epoxie: EK Success
Pen: American Crafts
Ink: StazOn (Green Cactus, Jet Black)
Adhesive: Zip Dry Glue, Glue Dots , Tombo Mono Liquid Glue
Stickers: Scenic Route, EK Success, Heidi Swapp for Advantus tape
Foam embellies: American Crafts
Other: Magic Mesh (Black, Copper), DMC floss

Tools: Basic Grey Precision File Set

If you've recently tried a Clear Scrap product, I'd love to hear from you and how your experience was!

Hope the spring season is upon you, wherever you may be! Our boulevard is lined with gorgeous trees popping with huge bouquets of white and pink blossoms! The grass is sooo green and we've already mowed three times. I am ready to get out with my camera and capture the beauty of the season!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Ultra Pro UPDATE...

2008-03-22T18:50:00.000-04:00

So, after many emails and several kind scrapbookers trying to help, I still could not find them anywhere! BUT, I'm happy to report that I emailed Ultra-Pro and they told me I could order via order form. So they mailed one to me and I'm ready to order next week! The cool thing is that I can order in bulk - 250 protectors for $100. Not bad at all! My sister, SIL, friend and I are going to split the cost! Sounds good huh? Thanks again for everyone's attempts at helping me! :)

Begging and pleading for anyone's help!

2008-03-03T13:23:00.002-05:00

Okay, here's my situation...I used to use Pioneer post-bound albums and after filling 5 or 6 of those, I decided to try the 3-ring binder way - well, I LOVE my 3 ring binders now and am already on my 3rd one. My friend Carolyn led me to the Ultra-Pro 12x12 Sheet Protector Refills and I've never looked back! I love that you can complete your layout, slide it in the protector and it's good to go! With my Pioneer albums and refills, I always to to trim a bit off the side and top which was aggravating!

Soooooo, after buying the Ultra-Pro 12x12 Sheet Protector Refills from Hobby Lobby for the last year or so, they are no longer carrying them. :( I found them clearanced one day and since then, they're gone. But, they are not completely discontinued from Ultra-Pro. So I've been on a hunt (been to the Ultra-Pro site and used their retail locator) for anywhere within 100 miles from me who carries them, with no luck. I've called sports memorabilia stores (have learned that Ultra-Pro is a huge brand with baseball card collectors and the like), box stores and scrapbook stores.

This is where all of you come in!! Anyone have any clue where I can a big stash of these? Would love any kind of feedback I can get! Please leave me a comment if you can help in any way! Thanks! :)

Scrapbooker Online's Cyber Crop...

2008-02-14T12:39:00.003-05:00

Anyone reading this is invited to SBO's online crop on February 29-March 1st! We're celebrating SBO's 3rd anniversary and as always, our crops are full of challenges, a chat, games and LOTS of prizes!! Hope to see you there! And a big thanks to Rachel who designed our flier for us! Thanks Rachel!

Clear Scraps CHA booth...

2008-02-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

How awesome is it to see your own work at CHA? Very exciting! I see all my albums in this photo except for my Pool Party one, so I'm hoping it's just displayed elsewhere in the booth. :)

I'm so thrilled for Janet and Jackie and their Clear Scraps success!! Sounds like they're having a wonderful time in Anaheim! Since being at CHA, they've already teamed up with Glitz for the rest of 2008 (YAY!!!), and Clear Scraps is also now a distributor of Zip Dry paper glue! Fantastic!

Hoping for more updates from J and J!

Clear Scraps CHA New Releases - Wordbooks!

2008-02-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

It's official!! I can share my Clear Scraps Wordbook sneak peek for CHA! I LOVE these books! They're such a terrific size (this one is approx. 5" x 11"!) and there's many Wordbooks to choose from like HOME, BABY, WOOF, MEOW and FAMILY!

ETA: This book has been picked up for publication, therefore all images have been removed! More information at a later date! :)

2008-01-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

Here it is! My last and final album for Clear Scraps...at least for CHA Winter! This is the angled tag album. My photos are 3" x 8", so that gives you and idea of the size of the album (have I said how much I love how big these albums are yet?).

I used my BigKick and a Sizzix sun die to cut a sun from the front cover (yep, you can use you die cutting machine on this acrylic!), backed the die with WorldWin yellow vellum, and re-inserted the sun die into the negative space. I then backed it with pp and secured the sun in place with brads.

These are all photos that I took with my underwater camera last summer at my brother and SIL's pool with my nephews on my side.TFL!

Please excuse my photos. These are not the best at all. Some are orange and red in tint but just don't have time to mess around too much. LOL But I wanted to share them with you before I ship it off! I'm off to FedEx to bid them goodbye for now! Wishing them a safe journey there and back! :)

As always, click on the photo for a larger view.

Clear Scraps Sneak Peek....

2008-01-29T22:56:00.000-05:00

Take a look at just a few of the Clear Scraps new releases on the blog! I am so excited about the word books! The LOVE one that's pictured was scrapped by little ol' me and I think what I love so much about these books (no pun intended :)) are their size!! They are such a terrific size and I am thrilled to be able to play with them!

Please stop by the Clear Scraps booth at CHA and be sure to check out all the DT's samples!! We have a rockin' DT and I'm sure you'll think so too! I just love the talent of these ladies!

I've also completed another Clear Scraps mini and will upload tomorrow when I get it photographed! Stay tuned! :)

More Clear Scraps CHA work...

2008-01-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

I've been busy working on my Clear Scraps CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) work. Since my last post, I've completed another album but can't share just yet! For now, I can show you this one though! This is the house shaped one and isn't it such a neat shape? I think the ideas for this are endless!!

I decided to create this book around my husband and I's home and the charming features that we love about it!

If you're lucky enough to be attending CHA in February, be sure to make a stop at the Clear Scraps booth! It's our first time at CHA, so we're all very excited and the DT has been working hard to debut lots of Clear Scraps products!

The making of 132 HANDMADE Christmas cards...

2007-12-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

*Click on collage for a larger view*

The making of 132 HANDMADE Christmas cards...

132 pieces of white cardstock
132 tree "trunks" - cut from Bazzill Bitter Chocolate cardstock
1,980 hand-punched circles from 8 different lines of Basic Grey (my circle punch is now broken!)
132 hand-tied twine bows (I now have Carpel Tunnel..lol! j/k)
528 rounded corners
2 Colorbox Cat Eye ink pads - Creamy Brown & Dark Brown
1 pad StayzOn Ink (inside stamped greeting)
132 Glue-Dots (for bows)
TOO MANY Duck tape runners to mention!($$$$$)
7 packages of DCWV envies

OH and of course..the 132 stamps at $.41 each! That equals $54.12 and that's not including my Canadian stamps!

And after all that though, I can truly say from my heart that all 132 cards were sprinkled with a bit of my Christmas LOVE! I really did enjoy the process, but we'll see what happens next year! LOL

Crop & shop 'til you drop!!

2007-11-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

Come on over to Scrapbooker Online and crop your heart out this weekend!! Starting today, there are oodles of challenges, games and prizes!! All are welcome and we'd love to have you! So, clear your scrap space and let your inspiration flow! Check out the CyberCrop Forum !!

Maryfrances has also set the Specials/Clearance section in the store on fire!! Everything here is at least 40% off or more, while supplies last! Stock up on some of your classic favorites from KI, Chatterbox, Sassafrass Lass and more! Happy shopping!

Scrapbooker Online's November Contest: Clear projects!!

2007-11-16T00:49:00.000-05:00

November 2007 Contest Information: CLEAR Projects!!

In November at www.Scrapbookeronline.com we have decided that we want to be able to see thru your layouts & projects!!

To play in our November contest all you have to do is upload your favorite {never posted in the SBO gallery before} layout or project that we can see thru!! So dig out those clear mini albums, transparencies, ghost shapes or any clear embellishments and get to work!!

If you don’t have any be sure to check out all of the clear goodies in the SBO Store –such as Page Frames, One Heart One Mind, My Mind’s Eye and Heidi Swapp products!!

* All images will be displayed in our monthly contest gallery.
* Please include a supply list & journaling.
* Our winner will be notified by e-mail and must respond within 2 weeks of notification.
* Winner will be announced in our monthly newsletter and on our site.
* Winning Layout: Our Design Team will select one winning layout.
* The winner of this contest will receive $25.00 www.scrapbookeronline.com gift certificate.
* All entries must be received between November 1, 2007 and November 25, 2007.
* Only ONE submission per person will be accepted.
* No previously published work will be accepted.
* Open to US and Canada residents only.

Submissions can be made by emailing November2007Contest@scrapbookeronline.com or by uploading it to the "CLEAR" contest gallery.

Good luck!!

2007-10-31T18:58:00.000-04:00

Sharing a little card that I made for the SBO Newsletter this month.

Wishing everyone a safe evening tonight and may the Great Pumpkin fill your bag with loads of candy! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Want to be a Design Team Member?

2007-10-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Scrapbooker Online is hiring a new Design Team for 2008! Come join one of the most creative teams on the net!

Search Timeline:
• December 3rd: Application due
• December 17th: Notification of new team
• January 1st: New team starts

You will be asked to submit three pieces of your work that have not been seen by the public. You will also be asked to submit a written essay, no more than a paragraph or two, explaining why you want to be a part of the SBO team and what interesting ideas/challenges/activities you would bring to the site.

Project Submission:
Your three submitted projects should cover the following themes or ideas:

1. Create a layout about you, your family and your love for life. Show us the real you, the fun you, the you that will shine as a member of the SBO team.
2. Create a layout depicting a challenge or contest you would bring to SBO. Create the ideal layout that would win a particular contest. Or create a layout that would fit for a weekly challenge you would hold at SBO.
3. Show us your altering side. Alter something, anything. Be creative and let you’re your craftsmanship and creativity shine through your project.

Design Team Member Responsibilities
• 6 month term appointment
• Responsible for at least 4 layouts or projects a month, using supplies provided by Scrapbooker Online or manufacturer sponsor
• All work uploaded must be of the best quality. Images or scans of work must be clean, crisp and of the best quality. You will be responsible for cropping and editing work before it is uploaded
• Must maintain a consistent and daily presence in our discussion forums and in our gallery. Consistent is defined as daily, unless extenuating circumstances occur
• Each of the 4 Design Team members will be responsible for at least 2 articles to be published on our site and in our newsletter during their 6 month term. This article will be coordinated through the DT Coordinators.
• Collaboration with other DT members on monthly layout contests or challenges, games or cybercrops.
• Responsible for QOTD (Question of the Day) for one week every two months. Schedule to be agreed upon by team.
• Will participate in Cybercrops
• Will participate in Team Meetings and Online Chats

Team Expectations: Further Explanation

Daily comments in the gallery. These comments need to be meaningful, thoughtful and appreciated by our members.

Our members take pride in our site and team. They have high expectations of the availability of their DT members. Please keep this in mind when applying for this position.

Daily posts in the forums. It is our goal at SBO to have members begin forum posts and to have members keep the boards alive. But, it takes the DT’s presence and creativity to move things along. Daily commenting in the forums is needed. Your presence is made by posting new threads and commenting to posts already made. Your posts should be thoughtful and have substance.

Our members take pride in our site and team. They have high expectations of the availability of their DT members. Please keep this in mind when applying for this position.

Wicked Awesome Thursday (WAT) uploads. It is your responsibility as a team member to keep up on WAT assignments and to upload every Thursday. These assignments are posted in the DT forum. If you are unable to upload on WAT then it is your responsibility to ask someone else to do it for you. If you are on vacation or are sick, inform a team member so no one is looking for you during WAT and wondering where you work is. Consistency is key to the team’s success.

NL (Newsletter) Articles. You will be responsible for at least one article every 3 months in our NL. Your assignment and schedule will be mutually agreed upon by Maryfrances (SBO Owner), DT Coordinators (Carolyn and Nicole) and the team.

Challenges, Contests, Cybercrop work. Your assignments and schedule will be mutually agreed upon by all team members.

QOTD (Question of the Day): You will be responsible for one week every other month. Schedule to be determined and agreed upon by the team.

Restrictions
• Other site DT positions are acceptable along with Manufacturers DT positions. Please be aware that if this in any way will hinder your participation at Scrapbooker Online and performing of the above responsibilities please make this careful decision beforehand.

• Consistent and relevant presence is defined as daily or as close to daily as one can accomplish. We do understand there are times when getting on line is not easy and that is understood. Our members look to our DT to show a consistent presence in both the gallery and message boards. We work as a team at SBO and all team members, both full time and guest, are required to show consistency in their work for us and their team.

• While our selection process is underway we do expect to get to know you. Please come and introduce yourself to our members. Join in on our challenges and hang out on our message boards. We want you to get to know our members and team. By getting to know you, this will allow us to make the best selection and fit for our team and the members of Scrapbooker Online.

PLEASE SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO:
Maryfrances Fabbri, SBO owner
mfabbri@scrapbookeronline.com
NO later then December 3rd

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THAT APPLY!!

Small catch-up...

2007-10-26T22:07:00.000-04:00

This makes me happy...my Paper Source catalog that arrived in my mailbox. I love looking through each page, drooling over the wicked cute projects and paper goods. Makes me feel like I can make anything from bits of paper. They're a bit pricey though, so I've never ordered from them but I'd love to visit a store some day.

Well fall has definitely arrived, finally. Not complaining though. We've had such a warm season and it's been nice. Last year after coming home from our Florida vacation, I felt so down and depressed that I had to come home to snow the beginning of October. After laying on the beach in 85 degree weather, it's a shock to come home to falling snow and 30 degree temps. This year has been a little easier considering I put my fall decorations up two weeks BEFORE vacation and it's been so warm since coming home. They're saying our first frost will be Sunday night. Hoping it'll give Dad some allergy relief. Hate to see him suffer so.

Dan and I took Beijing for a walk on the bikepath this past Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day. Took 186 photographs (and scattered them about this post) on our short walk and enjoyed every minute. The trees were such beautiful colors! Beijing rustled through the leaves and enjoyed the exercise I'm sure. A couple of people have said that lately she's putting on her winter weight. She must be getting ready for her Pug hibernation, LOL. We only walked a mile, but for me that's pretty impressive. ;)

My scrapping world needs a little boost. I feel uninspired lately and I absolutely hate that feeling. I know it happens to all of us at one time or another but it's annoying. Even all the new things I've bought just sit on my table staring at me. Sure wish they'd pop up and slap me one. My new CK and BHG have shown up in my mailbox as well, but still no inspiration. Someone better light a fire under me quick as I have SEVERAL projects that I have to get working on!! Deadlines aren't going to wait for me!

While in Florida and driving to Tampa to catch our flight home, I found a little scrap store called Scrap Happy in Bradenton and it was a cute store. LOTS of QK dies, so I bought this palm tree and this sanddollar to use with my Sizzix BigKick. Thought it was appropriate considering I'll have loads of Florida layouts soon to come! Also bought this Heidi Swapp stamp , new AC alpha stickers, Primas, Blue Hills Studio flowers and lots of paper! Now if I can only get scrapping!

Speaking of vacation, it was again divine this year. Lots of laying on the beach, sightseeing, beach-combing, eating, eating and more eating, swimming in the Gulf and in the pool at the house. We rented a PT Cruiser Convertible and it was such a fun car to get around in! Dan came out of the Alamo office in Tampa and said "which do you want...a VW Beetle (Bug) convertible or a PT Cruiser convertible. I went with the PT figuring with all our luggage it might have a bit more room! LOL! And hey...for all you camera-obsessed peeps like me, a convertible is a perfect car to get some great shots in! Just point it up and around and start shooting! ;) Will share vacation shots later...

Since September, I've been basking in the glow of owning a new Canon 30D and 2 lenses (a 50mm f/1.8 and 28-135mm IS)! I've been enjoying every second and have so much to learn. I thank my friend Becky who has ever so helpful in being patient with me, answering my many questions and helping me learn. Thanks sista!

Will post more at a later date. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

2007-09-06T12:32:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the tag Leslie!
A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: DH-Dan, my dearest friend Brenda
C-Cake or Pie: White cake with lots of buttercream icing!
D- Day of choice: Saturday
E- Essential Item: ...
F- Favorite Color: Kelly green please!
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears
H- Hometown: ...
I- Indulgence(s): Scrapping
J- January or July: Hmmm..toughie. I guess July
K- Kids: Nada
L: Life is Incomplete Without: God
M- Marriage Date: 1997
N- Number of Siblings: 1 older brother, 1 younger sister
O- Oranges or Apples: Eh...oranges
P- Phobias or Fears: Spiders
Q- Quote: Be still, and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10 ~ It seems like all I hear anymore is how "busy" everyone is, running to and fro, having so much to do in a day and I this is why I love this scripture. It seems like a good place to start to find your everyday solitude.
R- Reason To Smile: seems like such a simple ?, but I don't have the words
S- Season: Can't pick just one...
T- Tag Three: I'll spare everyone this time! LOL!
U- Unknown Fact About Me:
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: The good Lord gave us animals to eat...so I do!
W- Worst Habit: Biting my cuticles
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Give me an X-ray...go ahead, I can handle it.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Seems so cliche but I really love pizza, Mexican and Italian (my MIL makes authentic meatballs, raviolis, manicotti and her own gravy!)
Z- Zodiac: Virgo I guess. Not a believer in all the sign stuff.

What's your blog rating?

2007-08-04T15:56:00.001-04:00

This was fun! Saw this on someone's blog while hopping around and thought I'd try it out. And I'm happy to say that my blog is rated...

Here's the link... http://mingle2.com/blog-rating Let me know if you do it and I'll pop by your blog! :)

A humble reminder...

2007-07-26T19:14:00.000-04:00

Driving home from meeting Dan for dinner tonight, I passed a trailer park on the south part of the city. All the trailers are crammed right beside each other, run down and rusty with no yards for the kids to safely play in. I always pass it and feel for the kiddos playing in their small spaces and the elderly sitting out on their tiny porches alone. Today I passed by and there was a middle-aged man, sitting in a wheelchair. Just sitting there. He was an amputee with a missing leg. He sat there in the sun right by the road that runs close to the trailers and was just watching traffic. He wasn't going anywhere. I could tell he was just sitting there enjoying the sunny day. I watched him in my rear view mirror as I passed him by. Ever since I was a little girl, when I'd see a person in a wheelchair, it's always pulled at my heartstrings. I don't want to pity them, I just wish for their life to be easier. It's times like these that I turn off the radio in my car, tears flow uncontrollably and I start to pray. I pray a lot in the car because it's free time without any interruptions. But seeing this man, I prayed for him...my own private prayer. I don't know what his life is like. I hope he has a wonderful family who stands by him and loves and supports him. I hope he enjoys life to the fullest.
I pray that I also become more humble and thankful for my blessings. It's so easy to complain until we see others in a MUCH more unfortunate position.
I AM BLESSED.

A bump in the road...

2007-07-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

This evening, I felt....

like an oddball
alone
empty
weird
like I didn't have anything of importance to say
unworthy
like I was on the outside looking in
like a prude
like I know nothing
worthless
like I didn't fit in
very obese
like everyone was staring at me
unhappy

That was after church...and had nothing to do with church. During church, I felt wonderful.
I felt refreshed, I felt renewed, I felt filled with the His message of letting go of my earthly
fears. I felt reminded that He is with me always. I am never alone. He is in control. So,
when I started feeling these negative feelings this evening, I prayed and ask Him to forgive
me for I am His child and as a child of Him, I should be rejoicing that by grace, He knows
me and I am His. I asked him to take these negative and hurtful feelings from me. I
asked him to give me the peace in my heart that I know He wants for me. None of these
feelings really matter. I am only here a short time and I know "this world is not my home,
I'm just passing through`". I thanked him for his goodness, for His blessings, for his
patience and for his grace.

I feel better and while writing this, this song came to my mind. One of my favorites...

~~~This World Is Not My Home~~~

This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

They're all expecting me and that's one thing I know
my savior pardoned me and now I onward go
I know He'll take me through though I am weak and poor
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Just up in Glory Land we'll live eternally
the Saints on every hand are shouting victory
their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven's shore
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Come out and play with the SBO sistas!

2007-07-21T11:52:00.000-04:00

Come on over to www.scrapbookeronline.com this weekend for fun challenges and RAK's for the winners! While MF is away at CHA, the Design Team decided to play! So clear your table, print some challenges and meet the sistas! Everyone's invited!

Iced tea dreams DO come true...lol!

2007-07-13T18:08:00.000-04:00

My newest "appliance" and it makes me terribly happy! I love iced tea (decaf, please!) and I've made it myself (using my coffee pot) for years but it never "tasted like the restaurants". That's was my complaint. I want iced tea that tastes like I'm sitting in a restaurant people! I think I also brewed mine too strong too and I could never get it right.
So, this week I spent the measly $18.72 at Wal-mart to get what I wanted! I fired it up the minute I got home and brewed myself up a pitcher! Super easy and tastes soooo good...just like the restaurants, lol! And look at the colors...aqua and white~how cute is that? Looks totally hip to me! ;) It's almost like an invitation to plug it in!

Little fish, big fish...

2007-07-09T15:57:00.000-04:00

Either way, we all love swimming at my brother and sister in law's house. Thanks to them for being so generous and letting us! ;) It's always a good time for everyone. Click on the collage for a larger view. :)

Dan and I went up on Saturday and swam the day away with everyone. Paula made BBQ chicken pizza and a pepperoni pizza. She makes her crust from scratch and it rocks!! She makes it with all white flour and it's AWESOME, but I'm going to at least try half wheat and half white. Get the recipe here. http://www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amazing-Whole-Wheat-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx I brought up a green salad and we had watermelon. Just a fun day with the family!

Most of the photos below are of my 2 nephews and some of Dan being King Noodle. He hogs all the noodles and the kids try to get them away from him. Cute.

Lovin' the hot summer days around the pool and my family!

Happy Birthday Marjorie and Kristin!

2007-07-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

Just wanna give a shout-out to these two SBO sistas of mine! Today is their special day!

Marjorie is our resident Hawaiian sista on www.scrapbookeronline.com. She's sweet, beautiful, loves her grandchildren to pieces and we all wish we could live closer to her! From your friend way far away, I wish you the best birthday ever! Big ((hugs)) to you my friend!

Kristin is our NY Army wife sista who keeps busy at home with her children. Her husband is in Iraq fighting for our freedom, so I wish her as best a birthday as one could have. Her kids are making her a cake (yellow I hear! ;)) and decorating it allllll by themselves today. Can't wait to see it! Wishing you a wonderful birthday sistsa!!

Happy Birthday and I wish you both many, many more!

LET FREEDOM RING!

2007-07-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

Can I just say how much I love Picasa2? Lovin' the collage thing. Man...so easy.

Another Independence Day that I'm thankful for all my freedoms and liberties. There isn't another country I'd rather live in!

It was really a quiet day for us. Hung around the house and watched the fireworks from our driveway. We have the perfect spot and it beats loading up the car and fighting the crowd at the park.

And like a dork, I had my tripod goin' on! Might be dorky but hey...I'm happy with my photos. (well...the power line in some of them kind of eerk me.)

Hope your day was a day of celebration!

2007-07-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a fun one! Break out your circle cutters and get going...around and around and around!

July is ALL ABOUT CIRCLES at ScrapbookerOnline.com !! July Contest rules & details: We know you love circles as much as we do, so we want to see your favorite layout using circles!! You can have circles as embellishments, your patterned papers, your photo shapes – even your layout shape.
Let’s see how creative you can get with your circles!!
* Only ONE submission per person will be accepted.
* Please forward journaling in plain text along with the photo
NOTE: No previously published work will be accepted.
1. All images will be displayed in our monthly contest gallery.
2. Open to US and Canada residents only.
3. Please include a supply list.
4. Our winner will be notified by e-mail and must respond within 2 weeks of notification.
5. Winner will be announced in our monthly newsletter and on our site.
6. Winning Layout: Our Design Team will select one winning layout. The winner of this contest will receive
a $25.00 gift certificate for our online store.
7. All entries must be received between July 1, 2007 through July 31, 2007.

*Submissions can be made by emailing July2007Contest@scrapbookeronline.com
Or by uploading it to the "All About Circles" contest gallery
MORE at www.scrapbookeronline.com

Who knew you could use a mason jar as your blender?

2007-06-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

I can't help it...this is cool.

Who knew?

2007-06-23T21:41:00.000-04:00

I have just discovered a fabulous new recipe blog! Wow, she's got great organization and an endless amount of recipes...WITH PHOTOS! Love these kind of blogs.
Check out Simply Recipes.

Random, odd and off the wall ...

2007-06-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

I love Betty Crocker's Ranch and Bacon Suddenly Salad. BUT, why do we have to have freeze-dried peas in the mix? I cannot imagine anything more gross and unfresh. When I make it, I pick through the dry pasta shells and pick out the peas. Ick. I even documented it...lol. But, since I love fresh peas, I throw a handful in when it's all said and done. But freeze-dried is for the birds. And I bet they'd even toss them aside.

Finally found a site that had the song I was looking for...and without video! YAY! I've loved this song "I Can Only Imagine" for a long time now. Hope you enjoy it too.

Saw this over at Krystin's blog and just had to try it out for myself. And frankly, I really don't think I like the results I got. LOL! Try it yourself, post back here and I'll check out your blog for the meaning of your name. Wishing you better luck than I had!

Nicole --
[noun]:

A person who falls into an outhouse and dies

'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Father's Day/birthday gifts ordered...

2007-06-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

I've seen this presented on QVC a few times and thought it'd be pretty cool for Father's Day. Don't ya just hate when you're grilling and poof...no more propane? Well, hopefully this will solve the problem. I bought one for my Dad, Dan and one for my brother for his birthday. Dan hooked his up yesterday before we fired up the grill and it was good to go!

Happiness = Hobby Lobby...

2007-06-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

Yeah, seriously. And the HL I go to is really up to date with all the trendy funsies! HUGE sale this week and man, was that place busy! I came away with all of this for $29 and change. I also bought another 3 ring binder (not pictured). So, let's break it down...

I'm really anxious to see how the page protectors I bought work. I've always used Pioneer ones when I used my Pioneer post-bound albums and even since I've switched to the 3 ring binders. But, Carolyn was telling me about these Ultru-Pro's that HL carries. Sheesh....CANNOT beat the price. I used to pay $5-6 reg. price for 5 pioneer ones (holding 10 lo's). These come 25 in a package (holding 50 lo's) for $5.99 and they were 50% off. I am not turning down 25 pages protectors for $2.99!!! Thanks for the tip Carolyn! :) Can't wait to break them open!

And the Queen & Co felt ribbon...come on! It's adorable!!!! The only color I don't have that I really want is black! Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff!

And my HL now has ALL... and I mean ALL of the AC canisters. OH MY! Cute o rama! I controlled myself today though. :)

Okay, patterned paper...I honestly don't need anymore but please. I've always had my eye on the MME Front Porch collection, so I bought a few sheets of that, an AC sheet and some Bohemia. $.25 a sheet baby!

And for heaven's sake, the sheet of circle rub-ons are just cute. They practically jumped into my basket. I didn't want to hurt their feelings, so I brought them home with me. :)

Carolyn was also tellling me about an adhesive/rub-on eraser, so naturally I had to check out the eraser section. :) Hope this one works. We'll see!

I bought some good ol' standby's too...black and white textured cardstock and some mini brads. I still totally dig mini brads!

See? It's true. Hobby Lobby makes me happy. :)

Nap's Scraps

My new weight loss blog!

Getting caught up...

Still here...

Win a Tamron lens!

*Yum* Cupcakes!

Citrus Tree Studio: July "Days of Summer" Kit *REVEAL*!

Red, White & Blue Treats...

This and that...

A little more Project 365...

This is a BIG one!

A couple of cards...

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Citrus Tree Studio's May "County Fair" Kit is here!

Playing catch-up...

Earth Day, Layout & Card...

Citrus Tree Studio!

Easter/Project 365 Photos

Project 365 Photos 3/22 - 3/29 & Sympathy card

Project 365 Photos - 3/15 - 3/21

Sympathy card & 99th post!

Project 365 Photos - 3/8 - 3/14

My GINORMOUS Ebay dealio & a layout!

Project 365 Photos - 3/1 - 3/7

Quirky bits of this and that...

*TOOT*!

Project 365 Photos - 2/22 - 2/28

Project 365 Photos - 2/15 - 2/21

Oh how I L♥VE new FUNSIES!

Project 365 Photos 2/8 - 2/14...

Happy V♥lentine's Day!

Project 365 Photos 2/1 - 2/7...

Project 365 Photos - 1/25 - 1/31

Super Bowl and a card...

Project 365 Photos - 1/18 - 1/24

This and that...

Project 365 Photos - 1/10 - 1/17

Baby, it's cold outside...

American Idol...

It's HERE!

Not Done With Christmas Yet...

A little bit of everything...*photo heavy*

Just for fun...

Happy New Year!

A few more cards...

My Christmas Card Factory...

Tis the season...

STORE CLOSING - 50% off!

Christmas traditions...

Under construction...

*WINNER*!

Fall/Halloween GIVEAWAY & Happy World Card Making Day!!

30% OFF SALE!!

*NEW WINNER CHOSEN*

Giveaway *winners*!

WOW!!!

BIG RAK and another Clear Scraps Sneak Peek!

CLEAR SCRAPS SNEAK PEEKS!

BIG FAT POST....

Scrapbooker Online's July Contest: FREEDOM!

Brilliant rub-on storage...

National Scrapbooking Day!!

Scrapbooker Online's DT Search is ON!

Clear Scraps strikes again!

Ultra Pro UPDATE...

Begging and pleading for anyone's help!

Scrapbooker Online's Cyber Crop...

Clear Scraps CHA booth...

Clear Scraps CHA *New Releases* - Wordbooks!

Clear Scraps Sneak Peek....

More Clear Scraps CHA work...

The making of 132 HANDMADE Christmas cards...

Crop & shop 'til you drop!!

Scrapbooker Online's November Contest: Clear projects!!

Want to be a Design Team Member?

Small catch-up...

What's your blog rating?

A humble reminder...

A bump in the road...

Yum Cupcakes!

Citrus Tree Studio: July "Days of Summer" Kit REVEAL!

TOOT!

A little bit of everything...photo heavy

WINNER!

NEW WINNER CHOSEN

Giveaway winners!

Clear Scraps CHA New Releases - Wordbooks!