I'm Here! I'm Here!

Yes, my friends, I am here! LOL!I have not fallen into the vast unknown of cyber space. I am not a victim of a coronary from my bad luck of late. None of the above. I am actually doing much better. That is if you don't count my run-in with the flu the past few days. LOL! I have been out of work most of the week trying to recuperate and I can say I am finally feeling better. And my nasty little neck issue...that is getting better also. You see, the flu was actually a blessing in disguise. Because I spent 3 days in bed, my neck has had that much more time to heal. Hey, you gotta find the silver lining wherever you can! Right?

Tonight's post is going to have to be a quickie but I had to stop in and wish you all a happy weekend. So do tell...what does the weekend hold for you? Mine will be a scrappy weekend. My friend Pam is coming over bright and early Saturday morning and we will scrap all day...can't wait!

Speaking of scrapping, I have a few things to share. I know I've mentioned how much I love the kits at Serendipity Scrapbooks. Even before I made the DT, I purchased several of their kits! They are fun and filled with yummy goodies. Here are 2 layouts I made from the August Just Enough Please kit.



I have to admit, I stole the idea for the baking cup flowers from Meg. I saw this on her blog a while back and made a mental note to give it a try. I think they are so fun and add a bit of the unexpected to the page.



The next layout is one of my favorites. Do you ever make a page and you KNOW it is a favorite but you can't put your finger on the reason why? I'm not sure what it is, but I really like this one. I think it is the bright colors...hmmmm, I think?!?!? LOL! I did lots of fussy cutting on this one.





Before I go, I have to mention a wonderful bit of happy mail that graced my mailbox a few days ago. I think all of you know Julie, my wonderful "boss" at These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. Well, Julie being the kind and giving person that she is, sent each of the DT members a little present. She made sure to personalize the gifts in that she tailored her choice to each of our styles. And look at what I got:



Adorable journaling cards!!!! Aren't they awesome...and soooo me! Don't you think? Thank you so, so much Julie! I can't wait to use them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Do something fun and create a few laugh lines while you are at it! xoxo L

Confessions of a Shopaholic(s)

Yes. Yes. I am a shopaholic. At least I must confess to being one this past week. When my mom, my daughter and I get together and an enormous outlet mall is thrown into the mix disaster can strike...well, if you describe a drastic downturn in the available credit limit of my charge card a disaster. I'm sure none of you have ever fallen prey to the fan-tab-u-lous sales at an outlet mall, now have you? My most favoritest store EVER, Banana Republic, was having a great sale on Thursday. And wouldn't you know, we just happened to stumble across their threshold on this most wonderful of days. Three and a half hours of dressing room mayhem and 5 shopping bags of loot later and we felt like we had hit the fashion lottery! The dressing room staff became our new best friends. (We will be exchanging Christmas card this year. LOL!) Of course every item we each tried on had to pass the scrutiny of the other two. Color, fit, price and where it would work wonders in our current wardrobe were all points of discussion. We actually even offered our not-so-humble opinions to other shoppers who were unlucky enough to fall victim to the three of us. We were out of control!!!

You would think that would be enough to satisfy any shopaholic. But it got even better. Our new dressing room staff friends informed us that on Friday additional mark-downs would occur. Every single item in the store would be on sale. Every. Single. Item. We kept trying to figure out the best way to stash our selections until Friday and again one of our new-found friends offered up a wonderful bit of information. All we had to do would be return to the store on Friday with our receipts and they would do a price adjustment. So Friday became another shopping day. After they told me I saved an additional triple-digit sum, I was more than glad we went back. Several of the items I had purchased were original price but had been marked down 40% on Friday! Woo and double hoo!

In addition to our shopping marathon, we spent our time laughing until our sides ached, eating somewhat healthy food, getting our exercise in by walking around the campground and resting from said exercise by taking naps throughout the day. One of my most memorable moments was the 30-minute drive back to the camper after our shopping trips. Keri cranked up her i-pod and we sang our hearts out. Something about music leaves my heart feeling all warm and fuzzy. Sharing it with 2 of my most favorite people....ahhhhh! Good times. Good times.

I must also share one other memorable, scare-the-socks-off-of-me moment. It was rather late Thursday night when we returned from shopping but we were determined to get in a good walk that day so we headed out with a flashlight with not a care in the world. As we passed the pool area, Keri slowed down and walked toward a stick on the ground. She rather excitedly informed us it was a snake to which we said "No Way!" and she quickly responded "Yes Way!!!" With all the children that run around the park, I didn't want to take any chances by leaving the snake but I had nothing with which to kill it. The fact that I was a total chicken and wouldn't get close enough to kill it anyway is beside the point. Leaving Mom and Keri to stand guard from a safe distance I ran down to the pool where there were 2 families still hanging out. This is where I have to jump on my soap box and ask the question, "Is chivalry dead?" Neither of the 2 men was willing to help despite my very convincing argument that we needed to kill the snake to protect the children. I secretly hoped they couldn't sleep well that night but something tells me they slept like logs. (stepping off my soap box now)

Knowing several copperheads had been killed in the park in the past, I wasn't eager to frighten Mom or Keri any more than they already were. Still not sure of what to do, I spotted a few more people in the laundromat. Here is where the white knight steps in to save the damsel in distress. I approached these guys and asked who wanted to be a hero. We had a snake to kill. A young, rather muscular young man jumped at the chance. Grabbing a rock as his weapon he became our rescuer. Several attempts to kill the snake with the rock and all we had was a very threatened and ready to strike serpent. To the young man's credit, it is terribly difficult to strike a moving target with a rock. Not to be defeated, he replaced his rock with a boulder...one he could barely lift above his head. Nervously watching him get too-close-for-comfort, he hefted the boulder above his head and dropped it, totally obliterating the slimy poisonous varmint. It was in fact a copperhead. The security guard arrived on the scene as the slaying occurred and confirmed the type of snake. She (we have female security guards) had seen it earlier and avoided it for fear of getting struck???? Not sure I understand the logic in leaving an angry snake unattended but that's what she had done. No worries, Mr. White Knight stepped up to the plate and proved that chivalry isn't a total thing of the past.

So how about you? What has everyone been up to? I am so very behind in my blog reading but I plan to work on making some major head way in getting caught up this week. Internet service was very sporadic this time at the campground. I made it to 3 or 4 blogs, getting kicked off repeatedly with each visit. Now I'm home and I'm ready to log some blog hours! Can't wait to see what has been going on.

Before I go, I thought I would share one of my layouts I did for the design team call.

This is the layout I submitted about me. I know I had promised to share which team I am trying out for so here goes...Serendipity Scrapbooks!!! Several of my blog friends are members there and by following their blogs I have come to realize many of the wonderful benefits of this site. Lots of challenges and contests, the gallery is teeming with inspiration and I am extremely impressed with the products offered in the store. And the kits are amazing. I mentioned in my last post that making the team is my ultimate goal, but taking that first step and just trying for the team was my greatest accomplishment. Make the team or not, I know that I've found a wonderful place to hang out and play.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember I will be stopping by to say hello. And if you feel the urge, please leave me a little comment letting me know what you've been up to in my absence. I love hearing from you all!

Hugs & Love,
L.

Weekend Recap on Wednesday

Since falling in love with this wonderful hobby we call scrapbooking, I have never had the chance to devote an entire weekend to celebrating National Scrapbook Day. Well, this year I did...sort of. My dearest friend Pam and I scrapped Thursday night, Friday night and the bigger part of Saturday. Of course Thursday and Friday were usual work days. Couldn't exactly call in sick with the crafting bug. Don't think my boss would've bought it. But don't think I didn't consider it! lol! Pam fixed an incredible carb-heavy meal on Thursday to belatedly celebrate my birthday. Yummy mashed potatoes, rice, biscuits...see why I can never, ever lose weight? lol! Then we played! Friday was more of the same, minus the food. To celebrate NSD, we drove to our LSS (45 minute hike, one way) to participate in the BIG sale. After dining on a delicious shrimp and spinach salad for lunch, we settled in at my house for more scrapping time. Add to the mix a super cute Lifetime movie and pizza and it equalled a super duper weekend!

Circa 2004

I thought I would share a few of the layouts I completed but first I must issue a disclaimer. I rarely post my layouts for a couple of reasons. One, I am a bit shy (I know...me? shy?) about sharing my creations. Don't really know why, but I am. The second reason is that I have album after album of completed layouts...with no pictures. Not that I lack photos for them, I just haven't added them yet. You see, I am a backwards scrapper! (just made that up, but it sounds about right). Often the process of creating the page is done more for therapeutic reasons. A creative outlet of sorts. I will grab several kits and dive in. I usually have the photo in mind that I will eventually use, I would just rather play with the paper and the glue. Odd, but that's the way I roll. This time I was determined to be more conventional. So I grabbed a box of photos, my tools and a bag of supplies and left for Pam's. Once I got there I realized the photos were from 2004...hence "Circa 2004".

The first layout is using a recent Studio Calico kit. The pictures are of my little puppy pal, Princess. And oh how she thinks she is a princess!




For this layout, I used the same kit. The picture of this layout doesn't do it justice. No matter how many times I photographed it, I couldn't capture it any better. (You can actually click on the photo to enlarge it for a better view, but it still looks better IRL.) I used Glimmer Mist on the background. No special technique used...I've just wanted to give it a try. These wonderful little spray bottle have totally intimidated me. But after dipping my toes in the mist, so to speak, I am ready to jump in with both feet! This photo is very special to me. It was the last time my grandmother came to my house. We were celebrating Thanksgiving and she and her sister came for dinner. Very shortly after that, she went to the nursing home.

Same Studio Calico kit. Love these pictures of Keri and her dad. She has always been a "Daddy's Girl".



In case you haven't guessed by now, I am behind on using my Studio Calico kits. lol! The next layout is using a different one of their kits. I actually think it was the holiday kit. The pics are of my brother and his family. They are the nuttiest people I know! Lots of giggles and grins when they are around!



Finally, I broke the rhythm and went with a Scarlet Lime kit. Lots of cutting of patterned paper here. The flower border is actually layered pieces cut from one sheet of paper. For years, Keri was the only girl on her dad's side of the family. She was constantly tortured and then coddled by her cousins and aunts and uncles as you can tell by these photos.



I actually completed one more layout that I can't share right now. The perfectionist in me is trying like heck to fix a boo-boo I made. Sad thing is, I may just have to start over. :(

The weekend ended with a wedding on Sunday. An outdoor wedding in the rain...with no tents! From what I could see through the sea of umbrellas and what could be heard above the roaring rain, it was a beautiful ceremony! lol!

There you have it...my weekend run down! Before I go, I want to mention a few things. First of all, please take the time to check out The Next Step challenge blog. One enormously talented blogger, Lucy Edison, has started a mixed media arts challenge blog with a few of her super crafty friends. They have posted their first challenge this week and it is AWESOME! I think you will be more than happy you dropped by. And I can't forget to mention my dear, dear blog friend, Peggy! She is presently participating in a give away challenge. Be sure to drop by and say hi. Not only will you get the chance to possibly win a few goodies, but she is a fabulous blogger with ridicously mad scrapping skills. Her layouts always blow me away! Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post! Hope you all have a very Happy Hump Day! XOXO

AWOL - Again!

Just wanted to let my dearest friends in blogland know I am going to be out of commission yet again. BUT this time it is due to the fact that I just this minute found out I get to scrap ALL WEEKEND LONG!!! This was a sudden and very much welcomed turn of events! I haven't been able to carve out creative time in many, many weeks. So if you listen very closely, you can probably hear my shouts of excitement...no matter where you live! That little whistling in the wind...THAT would be ME! YAY! The fun and festivites begin tonight. My scrap pal, Pam, and I are locking ourselves away to play with paper, glue and scissors!

I've been able to catch up with several of you and I am still working my way through my blog roll. I hope to stop by and visit everyone before I shut out the world for a few days. I'll be thinking about you all...knowing you awesomely talented gals will be doing some amazing things for National Scrapbook Day! Can't wait to see all of your creative genius next week. Hugs and LOVE from me to YOU!!!

One More Thing: Discovered another fantastic blog with a RAK if you are interested! To get the details, go HERE!

It Would Be Monday Again

Funny how that happens. Mondays seem to come all too quickly. Not that I'm complaining. I actually don't mind Mondays. That is as long as they are nice to me. When they decide to behave in true "Monday like" fashion and create drama for me all day long...well, then I don't like them so much. And given that my boss returns from a week long vacation today, I'm expecting a bit of office stress. He will want to be apprised of all the happenings during his absence. I can't actually say,

"Well, you see, I spent the entire week catching up with my favorite blog friends and otherwise surfing the net in search of some scrapping inspiration because as of late, my scrappy mojo is avoiding me. Since you weren't here to keep me on task, I decided to take a mini-vacation into crafting cyber-space."

I'm thinking that would be the wrong response to his anticipated questions. Honestly,I worked like a mad woman and completed many projects while he was away and I plan to support my image of a very dutiful and competent employee and rush to him with the results as soon as he walks in the door. Maybe, if I'm really lucky, he be his usual self and not even care to ask.

Several posts back I did a give away with this Close To My Heart kit.




Random.org chose Jocelyn as the recipient. She and I have discussed challenging each other to help us think outside our usual scrapping box. Since we both owned the kit, we thought what better way to start our challenges than with these products. We were to complete a layout and a card.

Before I reveal my creations, let me state, with emphasis, that I wasn't kidding when I said I've lost my scrapping mojo. I attended a crop Friday night with some old friends and I walked away with nothing other than an addition to my laugh lines. I had a great time socially, but the creative juices just were not flowing. And obviously, my photography skills are on hiatus as well. These photos are quite crappy. I couldn't take these this morning when we had ample sunshine, I had to wait until this afternoon when we had overcast skies. See, even my timing is off. Ehhh. What's a girl gonna do.





Even though this isn't one of my favorite layouts design-wise, I LOVE the pictures. My grandmother (on the right) suffered from dementia the last few years she was alive. She had always been such a spunky lady and it was extremely hard to watch the loss of her mental faculties eat away at her existence. But something about my cousin (actually my dad's first cousin), Aileene, seemed to bring her back into this reality if only for a few moments. This picture was taken at one of the last family reunions she was able to attend. Watching my grandmother's show of affection for Aileene was such a sweet moment. I'm so glad I was able to capture it on film.



Creating this card was the real challenge for me. I never ever make cards. Don't know why. I have the requisite basket of scraps and any other supply known to man, but I just don't go there. I admit it was fun playing on a smaller playground. I think I will have to try this again soon. One thing, though, it took me forever to create this. I will blame it in part on my creative block as well as the fact that the smaller format kind of threw me off. Hopefully next time it won't take me as long to make the transition.

I'm so excited to see what Jocelyn created. You can see her take on this challenge HERE. Be sure to give her a little blog love today. We all can use some TLC on Mondays!

That's all I've got for now. Here's hoping your Monday treats you well and as always, thanks for making my day by sharing a little bit of it.

A Challenging Challenge (edited)

Last week I wrote about a challenge at my not-so-local scrapbook store. This week I tried to tackle what I thought would be a relatively easy challenge. I made the obligatory trip to the store, bought the required items, gathered my photos and actually carved out some time to scrap. It was going well until I reached for one of my favorite punches and realized I couldn't use it! The guidelines of the challenge state you must use the listed items and you can only use additional items that have been purchased at their store. Darn! That ruled out most of my options. While I have contributed many a dollar to maintaining this store's financial well-being, I can't exactly tell you what I've bought there and what has been bought via other scrappy sites. And due to the inconvenient location of the store, a quick trip to purchase additional supplies was out of the question. However, I pushed ahead and this is what I came up with. The layouts are extremely simple, but what more can a girl do when she only has 3 items to work with...lol! I had to use one of the 2 new Basic Grey lines, either Marrakech or Porcelain, Core-dinations cardstock and any Technique Tuesday item.

The first layout was made using Marrakech paper along with cardboard and chipboard stickers. I layered tons of stickers to create the flower border. I also used the Ali Edward's "Loving Words" Technique Tuesday stamps.

While the title is a subtle sentiment, I think it says it all..."there is no doubt - i just love you."

I created an additional layout using the Marrakech line. The colors are so bright and fun!

My frustration with this layout set in when I automatically reached for my ribbon stash and had to stop myself. I tried to purchase ribbon at the store, but could find no good options. So I created some faux ribbon with the paper. Again, I used the "Loving Words" stamps. I think these stamps have quickly become some of my favorites.

(edited) The final layout is probably the simplest of all, but for whatever reason, it is my favorite. The photo of this layout doesn't do it justice. I'm not as fond of the Porcelain line because the colors are softer and I tend to always lean toward the more vibrant colors. I originally had this layout as a "mostly cardstock layout". But you know how an idea will come to you after walking away for a while? My struggle had been the use of patterned paper. Couldn't get it to look right to save my life. Well, last night...ahem...or this morning (3:00 am), it came to me. I like this much better.

All accents are stickers from the Porcelain line. I traced the butterfly on cardstock, cut it out and adhered the sticker with pop dots.

I used Technique Tuesday Technique Tiles for the hearts, using the Cuttlebug dotted swiss embossing folder to "embellish" the smaller heart. Thank goodness I remembered that I bought this embossing folder on my previous trip to the store. The word "bloom" was included on the sticker sheet or I would have been in a pickle trying to create a title. lol!

So that's it friends! It was the best I could do with what I had. Now I just have to find the time to get the layouts to the store before Saturday at 6:00 pm. Something tells me I won't be participating in anymore of the store challenges...it's suppose to be a challenge, but I was counting on it being less stressful...lol!

On a side note, if you are interested in trying to win some awesome new paper, be sure to go HERE! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! Until next time!

More layouts from the weekend

Thought I would post additional pages from my great scrap weekend. I can't stress enough how much I've come to love using kits from my monthly kit clubs. I have always created "kits" of sorts whenever I've gone to crops in the past. Now the work is done for me...how cool is that! Everything is right there packaged so neatly. All I have to do is grab the kit, my tools and I'm good to go.

The first two layouts came from the Scrap for a Cure kit, She's Such a Girl. I love all the bright colors. They work so well with these crazy pics of my daughter and her friends.

The following layouts of Keith and Morgan were made using older Scarlet Lime kits. If you haven't checked out Scarlet Lime, you may just want to treat yourself to a peek at their site. I fall in love with these kits each and every month. They are product heavy and Christy does a terrific job of finding such unique items to include.

These last two layouts of Keri and Morgan were made using miscellaneous product from my stash. The photos are really washed out and I was unable to correct then to my liking in PS, but you get the idea.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and here's wishing you much time and merriment with those you treasure most! Happy Valentine's Day!

Hooray for kit clubs!

Let's hear it for monthly scrapbook kit clubs! I discovered my first kit club about a year ago and I have been in love ever since. I know I'm not alone in this, but when new product is released, I feel slighted if I can't run out and purchase it right away. It's an addiction of sorts. I keep waiting for news of a recently formed SA (Scrapper's Anonymous) group...a group I am sure my friends and family would encourage me to join. But I would be one of those who would prefer to live in denial of my addiction. There have been times when I've felt more like a collector than a creator. I have traveled to nearby, and not-so-nearby, cities to get my greedy little hands on the latest and greatest, all the while convincing myself that I would most certainly find the time to use my ever-growing stash...you know, one day.

Then reality came crashing in. I could no longer live in denial. Finances changed and I decided that "one day" had come. It was time to put a halt to my excessive purchasing and start using what I had. But a girl can't go cold turkey, now can she? So I found myself in a dilemma. Kit clubs became the solution to my problem. The concept behind them is pure genius! Each month I anxiously await the delivery of my goodie box. Heck, it's Christmas 12 times a year! And the beauty of it is, most of the kits consist of newly released products all coordinated and ready to be scrapped. How cool is that!!! This weekend, I got to spend some time with my much loved kits. An entire weekend devoted to my favorite past-time...I was on a scrapper's high!

Here are a couple of the layouts I created. From a previous post you should be all too aware that I have yet to master the art of taking & uploading the photos of my layouts. It was well into the "dusk" time of day when I finally had time to take my pics. I had to hurry to get the last bit of remaining daylight. I was just anxious to post a few layouts so please turn a forgiving eye to the quality of the photos.

The first layout was made from a kit I purchased from Scrap For A Cure. I love the idea that a portion of the purchase price of the kits goes for cancer research. This picture was taken a couple of years ago. Morgan was only spending weekends with Keith at the time and all she could think about was spending time with Claire, the little girl up the street. I talked Keith into letting the girls have a sleep over, Morgan's first ever sleep over. They were so excited! They were more than happy to pose for a pic.

The next few layouts are all from past Scarlet Lime kits. On the first one, I used one of my favorite pictures of Keith. He is such a clown and this picture really shows his crazy side.

I love this next page even though the picture leaves something to be desired. The pic was taken at Keri's graduation this past May and the layout simply states exactly how I felt that day...I wanted her to step out into to life...to dare to fly!

This layout is super simple, In fact, they are all falling in the simple category. I think I'm getting a bit lazy. lol! But again, I used a favorite photo of my son, Taylor, and his girlfriend, Leah. They are so sweet together.

I know this is alot for one post, but I got alot done this weekend. In fact, I completed several more pages. Whoo hoo!!! I'll share those on another day.

Hope everyone has had a very happy weekend! Ta-ta for now!

Working Out & Girl Time

Month 2! That's right, baby! Getting started on month 2 of my extreme workout routine. My friend, Lydia, and I started way back in October working out 5 days a week at 6:00 am. The goal at the time was to just get through the holidays doing minimal damage to our waistlines. Secretly, I had hoped to actually lose some weight...a wish of most women most of the time... but no such luck. Even still, I was feeling better, actually beginning to feel more toned and I survived the holidays sans weight gain. All in all, I would call that a success. But I wanted more. Enter Chalean Extreme. To explain, I have to reveal my obsession with infomercials. OK, it's not really an obsession, but anytime I come across anything that offers me a complete body transformation, I'm hooked. And for any of you who have ever watched the Beach Body infomercials...well, who wouldn't want to look like that?

Fast forward from October to January. Time to get serious. We made it official. We met at Starbucks and over a cup of coffee mapped out the next 90 days. We planned each workout session, stated our goals and decided the best way to be accountable to one another. I weighed, took my measurements and calculated my body fat percentage. And just so you know, it was a most humbling experience. As for the pictures from every imaginable angle...didn't go there. First of all, I can hardly photograph myself from head to toe...that darn tripod just takes too long to set up. And heaven forbid I bare my cottage cheese ravaged body to anyone else. Just NOT happenin'! And so it began.

So far so good. In 5 weeks, I have only missed one workout and that was due to this silly vertigo problem I am still battling. I guess you might want to know how things are going as far as results. Weeelllll, I guess it is all in how you measure success. lol! Truthfully, I'm disappointed and happy all at the same time. That 15 pounds weight loss I dream of...didn't happen. But I did lose 3-1/2 pounds and lost 1/4 - 1/2 inch on each body part. The biggest boost came when I realized I had lost 3% body fat! This month I'm working hard on eating better...something I only half-heartedly did last month. Baby steps, baby steps. But I'm getting there.

On a scrappin' note, I'm excited to be spending the weekend with my scrap buddy, Pam. We are going to play Friday night and all day Saturday. Yea for girl time! I have a Valentine's project to finish for my sweetie and I plan to tackle my lastest Scarlet Lime and Studio Calico kits. I hope to post some of these on Monday. I guess I'll have to wait to post Keith's Valentine's surprise...he discovered my blog and he gets a kick out of reading it. He says he feels like he has been let into our secret club. Don't tell, but I think he is a closet scrapper....will probably get in trouble for that one! lol! Happy weekend!