Feathers in my Nest

2011-12-31T01:15:00.001-08:00

Hello to my fellow blog lovers!!! Thank you so much for continuing to visit even though I haven't rewarded you with much inspiration in awhile. Some of this is for very good reasons: I've been scrapbooking and creating more! I've finally found some balance in my life where I've been able to carve out some time on a more regular basis to find (make) time to do this for myself and my family. I'm a much happier person when this part of my soul is fed. ♥ I'm betting you're the same way. ;) In a future blog post I'll tell you my new found secrets, and maybe they'll help you, too.
My latest venture in my quest to find time and to get a handle on over 70,000 (!) photos on two computers is to dive into Stacy Julian's biggest project yet over at Big Picture Classes. Here's a great blog post she did explaining what this year long venture is about.
http://stacyjulian.com/blog/?p=8429
There's a wealth of information here and lots of inspiration to join up, too. I am excited about making a potential of 164 layouts in the coming year just in this class alone! And shopping my stash. ;) And having some 'me time' to rejuvenate. I hope you'll look it over. If you decide to join me please leave me a comment and we can find each other over on the BPC forum. Happy Scrapping! :)

Photo credit: Stacy's blog. Custom Journals by Paper Coterie ♥

So, you want to make a smash book....

2011-06-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

I love the new books and love the idea of them, so once I found a need for one I decided to make my own. I used only things in my stash, primarily some vintage Crate Paper called Baby Bee that I'd been hoarding ;) and some Chloe's Closet by Making Memories. I tucked in some smaller super fun papers by Glitz Design and some Kraft envelopes by Maya Road. I also threw in some Cosmo Cricket The Boyfriend and Earth Love for good measure. I love mixing brands and product lines that just seem like they were meant for each other. :) Chris (chrispea) did some great paper designs and is generously sharing them with us on her YouTube video on how to make your own smash book. I added in several pockets, envelopes of various sizes as well as some border strips left open in the center so I could attach paper clips to them to add things to them later on. I made six tabbed sections for my particular use for this book, but you can certainly customize it to your needs. Hope you enjoy looking at this as much as I did making it! Thanks for stopping by!

Yee Haw!

2011-05-16T00:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, been a long time coming, right? :) I can't believe how busy life can keep you, but well, yeah it does sometimes. My two little buckaroos keep me pretty busy, and pretty entertained as well. Ron and I were able to take them to see their buds, The Riders in the Sky a week or so ago. In case you're not familiar with them (where have you been hiding!) they are a cowboy group that keeps the love alive for classic western and cowboy tunes. Think Cool Water. Think Roy Rogers. Think Dale Evans. lol, well, not really. ;) One thing you can also think is Woody from Toy Story. Ah there, now I've got your attention.

They play a ton of Toy Story music, and yep, that's them singing, too. Yes, we really WERE that close to them! Well a big night was had by my two little cowboys. Too Slim, in who's honor I made these little wooley chaps, gave a shout out to my little boys and had them stand up, right there on the front row, so everyone could see them, right smack dab in the middle of the concert! I kinda had to choke back tears. (sap) I mean, look at them, they are so darn cute.

I love this funny little photo of Wyatt. He's bending over to pick a little flower for me. ♥ Awww.

After the concert the Riders all came out and visited for a long time, and were so kind to talk with Tucker and Wyatt, sign their Woody and Jessie hats for them and then take photos with the boys. Isn't that sweet?

Some scrapbooking/card making coming up soon...promise!

Hugs and Kisses,

Everyday moments...

2011-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

...that make my heart sing. ♥ I love this smile. These cheeks. :) Those eyes! I love that Wyatt has now wiggled his little way into his daddy's and my coffee time, right down to his own special little cup. I love that Tucker loves to read, without being prompted to. Yes, that's his Bible he's reading. Priceless. I love that these little boys love each other so much. They're laying here watching a movie and yes, they're holding hands. This happens a lot. No matter what life throws at us, when we have this we are truly rich. I'm still plugging away at P365, too far behind on journaling to post without blushing visably, lol, but taking lots of photos. It's the everyday moments that I love looking back on the most. These are what make up a life.

Thanks for looking! Hope you have many magical moments in your life today. ♥ Hugs,

2011-03-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Made a card for a very dear friend the other day and wanted to share. I love these sweet images and also how easy it is to add some dimension to them with a couple of little secrets. ;) Lightly inked edges add just a pop of depth, too, This is the first card I've used some wrinkled vintage seam binding on and I really like the look of it, like it's something straight out of grandma's attic. If you're grandma was like mine, she didn't like anything old. Bummer, right? Thankfully..there's Etsy! Instant heirlooms. lol Thanks for stopping by. Hugs,

New items up in the Etsy Shoppe!

2011-03-10T17:46:00.001-08:00

I've put up some new items in Nest Feathers Paperie. If you're like me, in times past when I needed a card for a special occasion, I am usually scrambling at the last minute and running out to the store, standing there looking forever for just the perfect one I think my friend or loved one will adore. Well, I've come up with a solution for that. Card sets. Handmade cards with attention paid to every detail all neatly packaged and just waiting for you. No more last minute scrambles. :) Plus, if you'll let me know your favorite colors, images and even the occasions you'd like in the mix, I can make a custom reserved listing just for you. ♥ You will not be disappointed. Neither will your friends. Yeah, you'll get to be the cool friend who always sends the pretty cards. lol

Meet Rian

2011-03-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been completely captivated by a piece of art you happened to see? I haven’t had that experience often in life, but I suddenly found myself like this last week when I came across the incredible works of Rian. She lives in the southern part of the Netherlands (in the province of Noord-Brabant to be more specific). Thanks to the amazing land of cyberspace, we have the privilege of meeting amazing talent like this from far flung corners of the globe. It’s really quite amazing, isn’t it? She calls her blog Freubel’s Art Page because freubel means something like fiddle in English. She took on that name because she likes to ‘fiddle’ with graphics on her computer until they result in something rather nice to look at. In time, she say 'her fiddlings’ have become more of a craft in photoshopping and creating Digital Artworks in various styles such as vintage-retro, mixed-media, stamping and old postcards. She has a wide range of style preferences, as you may well see on her site. From her well endowed ladies to the vintage images of children that I fell in love with, you’re sure to find something to inspire you. I especially love her scenery pieces. Some of them make me laugh out loud. Some of them you have to study for awhile to catch every special detail she's put into them. She has an incredible amount of free art she so generously allows others to download. She also has a store front full of yumminess that you’ll find thru the link on her blog, and on my sidebar as well. She has clip art, banners and headers for blogs, and really too much to mention. Make yourself a cup of tea, pull up a comfy chair and go browsing. :) I’m so honored she allowed me to showcase her art in the lovely blog header you see on my blog. Thank you Rian. You have an amazing eye and amazing talent, and a delightful sense of humor.

2011-03-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

And we have a winner! Rana, from The Crafting English Professor was number 32 and that was the number chosen by Random.org for the art journal. Email me your addy and I'll get it right out to you. :) Thanks so much to everyone for stopping by, leaving comments and showing your incredible support. Hugs to all!

Brave Girls and a little Soul Restoring

2011-02-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little bumped around from some less than pleasant life experiences? Love art, scrapbooking, paints and paper? The amazing Melody Ross, who's life and how she's handled it is an inspiration in itself, has once again created something beautiful out of thin air. I've been a fan of Melody's for quite awhile and am absolutely in love with her Artsy Urban collection over at GCD Studios. By a series of unexpected circumtances that shall forever remain a secret ;) and some people with some incredibly large hearts, I came to the place to be able to take Melody's Soul Restoration class online. Her Brave Girl Camps sell out months in advance, and being that I can't travel to Idaho and hike up into the hills with two broken ankles and a broken leg right now, lol, I was pretty excited to see that she offered this art therapy course online. We all have our own troubles in life, travel our own paths and have different things thrown at us. Last year was a real doosey for me, as some of you know. Ron was laid off for 8 months, my dad was diagnosed with a serious, incurable health problem, then throw in a major accident and health problems for me and a glitch where Ron works that left us without health insurance, etc. etc. You get the picture. And believe me when I saw I've only scratched the surface here. We were reeling, and still are. I was looking for a place to put some of this stuff and needed some kind of immediate tools to use in daily life in trying to deal with all of it. Honestly, I needed to be able to sleep again. Soul Restoration has helped. I think it teaches you some skills to navigate your way thru things that you'd rather not have to navigate thru. We'll all have those things to work thru. We all need these skills. We all need to be able to find that little girl again, the one that was so full of joy and hope and had the whole world in front of her. Remember her? ♥ Art journaling is incredibly powerful. Melody uses it beautifully. Here's my journal that I'm still working on, and will continue to for months and years to come. It started out as a plain black artist's sketch book. I love how crinkly and thick the and deliciously texturized all the pages are becoming with all the amazing art techniques we've learned. There's so much more to it all than what we can possible get at in a blog post. Promise.

Here is a photo of one of my mini albums I made during the course. There are detailed photos a couple of posts down on my blog if you'd like to see what's inside. I love this album, so much.

There are many more projects, too. But honestly, it's not really about the art. That seems funny to say, because it kind of is. You'll see what I mean when you take this journey. And...you'll meet some amazing friends along the way, too. And come away with a new way to do art, and probably a few projects that will turn out to be lifelong favorites of all the things you've ever created. The first online course called Soul Restoration One (6 weeks) starts again April 5, 2011 and is $99. After that you'll be all ready to sign up for Soul Restoration Two (also 6 weeks). This is for graduates of Soul Restoration One only, starting June 7, 2011 also $99.

If you're participating in the blog hop, which I hope you are!...you arrived here from Kai over at Enjoy the Ride and the next blog in your Soul Restoration Blog Hop journey is Lacey over at Winter Window. If you're hopping on midstream, here's a complete list of the Brave Girls participating in this amazing little blog hop.

Judy at www.bepresentbereal.blogspot.com
Pippa over at http://pjbear-determinedscrapper.blogspot.com
Sandi over at http://sandi-mybravesoul.blogspot.com
Leslie at http://wordsofmeproject.blogspot.com
Juel at http://colorfulmoments.blogspot.com/
Kai at http://www.enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com
Angie here at http://thefeathersinmynest-mommiextwo.blogspot.com/
Lacey at www.winterwidow.blogspot.com
Kathy at the http://shockingpinkthread.blogspot.com
Lynn at the www.rubyrabbitstudios.com
Sandra at www.skippingwithobie.blogspot.com
Stephanie at http://mycreativewish.blogspot.com
ZuZu at http://www.zuzu.typepad.com/about.html
Sami Jo over at www.herhousehold.blogspot.com
Rebecca at the www.flyoverpilgrim.blogspot.com
Dawn at http://www.seekingsense.typepad.com/
Donna over at the http://orangalicious1.blogspot.com
Rana at the http://definitivedesignsbyrwilson.blogspot.com/
Judy at http://mycraftingroom.blogspot.com/
Trisha at http://adgb.blogspot.com/
Kas at http://www.whispersandwishes.blogspot.com
Shelley at renaissancewyoming.blogspot.com
Deb at www.aswewalkalongtheway.blogspot.com
Jennifer over at www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Dawn at http://dawnhueser.blogspot.com
and Stephanie at http://earthmothr.typepad.com/out_of_my_head/

I'm going to give a prize in a drawing for those of you who will sign up to follow this blog and also leave me a comment. ♥ I'll hold the drawing on Monday and notify you by your contact info from following. I'm going to send one of you blog hop participants and/or visitors this beautiful vintage inspired journal, so you can start journaling right along with us! You can alter it inside and out with fun art techniques if you like! (Drawing for US residents only.)

We'd all love for you to stop by, leave us some love. You know the routine of paying it forward when visiting blogs, right girlfriend? ♥ This little hop is just one way we can show Melody how much she means to each and every one of us. Don't you want to come on and be a Brave Girl, too? ;)

I love the vintage look, I admit it

2011-02-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes I do. It seems no matter what I make that old obsession just has a way of sneaking back in. Here's the latest card I made. Seems lately I also have a thing for birds. ♥ The wonderful little surprise about this card is the background paper. It is gloriously sparkly when the light hits it just right. And the paper is embossed with a shadow of beautiful little hummingbirds hovering around. Love it. The scalloped border is studded with the prettiest little sage green rhinestones. Very feminine. Beautiful satin double sided ribbon and lightly inked edges complete the look. A card like this is just perfect to send to someone special, just to let them know you're thinking of them.
p.s. I finally found the perfect vintage frog to hold my little creations with. And that color green, complete with a little rust....be still my heart. ;) Hugs!

I did a little Soul Restoring

2011-02-20T16:28:00.001-08:00

Ever heard of Melody Ross? ;) Yeah, that Melody Ross. Well, she's set out on this crazy mission to find all the Brave Girls on the planet. ♥ Yeah, she's a wonderful, amazing, contagious kind of crazy like that. You'll see the Brave Girls link on my sidebar, plus the button for her six week Soul Restoration class. I can't say enough sweetness about it. Really. It's so touching that I won't do it justice here in a blog post. Please check it out. We did art journaling as well as a myriad of other incredible projects. The one below happens to be my heart's favorite. It's the Soul House album. Some of the pages won't make sense unless you're a Brave Girl who's taken the class, cause yeah we kind of have a secret language amongst us. lol. But I love this album. It's 8 inches across, so it's got some great heft to it! I'll treasure this for years. Each of our albums is incredibly personal. Mine means special things to me. Yours will to you, too. Promise. Thank you for stopping by to visit. Please come back often and pull up a chair, a pretty one, and stay awhile. ♥ (You can click on any image to enlarge)

I added in grungeboard pages and elements, cardboard pages and pages cut from cereal boxes and acrylic packaging. So many different art techniques were used, also. In some of these photos you're actually looking thru one page onto another. I love that and think it makes a mini so interesting. Of course, a ton of Mod Podge, aka Soul Glue, was used, too. ;) I love this little album. Thanks so much for taking time to look. ♥ I hope you all have a wonderful day, so go and be...

2011-02-18T03:17:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited to announce the Grand Opening of my long awaited Nest Feathers Paperie Etsy shoppe. The shoppe will feature beautiful custom handcrafted cards, tags, mini albums, journals and scrapbook pages to treasure and share. You can also find vintage treasures for your home as well as vintage supplies for your own crafting. Custom items and orders always welcome. Many more items to be listed soon. Thanks so much for coming to visit.

2011-02-15T02:11:00.001-08:00

Yeah, can I just say I'm beyond excited! This happens starting next week, so stay tuned for some nice photos and fun projects I think you'll enjoy. And a special thanks to Scrapbooking.com for the amazing honor. It means so much to me. Please check out their website for some wonderful inspiration. ♥

2011-02-07T22:48:00.001-08:00

You guys stay tuned! I'm so excited about an email I received this morning that I can hardly stand it!!! I'm thinking of changing the look around a bit here, jazz it up a bit, and also post some fun, new things for you to see. Also, I'm taking a wonderful class by the extremely talented Melody Ross so a bunch of us Brave Girls wanted to treat you to a blog hop all about Melody's Soul Restoration Class! That's coming up soon, too. We're going to show you projects we are doing (there are tons!), new art techniques we've learned and also give away some amazing prizes. But... before the blog hop, something else extremely exciting is brewing. Wanna guess? Hmmm, what could it be? hee hee. I'd love see what you're thinking!

***********************************************************************

Oh, and I'm free, I'm free!!! (hence the adorable vintage image above!) Dr's visit went well yesterday, and I can walk now without the crutches and I can take the cast off most of the time! Yeah, it feels pretty stinky to walk right now, and it feels like I'm going to fall with every step, but I'm beyond excited to start doing it again. Remember, I love to backpack, especially in Utah's slot canyons, so I've got to get this puppy working again! Cheer me on, k? ;)

p.s. - the vintage image above as well as many more adorable ones are available at the ever fabulous Tammy Tutrerow's website @ http://tammytutterow.typepad.com/tammy_tutterow/ Thanks Tammy! ♥

A new Merchantile on the horizon!

2011-01-07T13:51:00.001-08:00

We've embarked on a new and exciting adventure! A dear friend of mine, Heidi, as in Heidi.... Scarlet's mom...the famous Scarlet that is the love of Tucker's life, Scarlet, has invited me to join her and another chickie to open an online merchantile! We are all beyond excited as we share such similar interests and values and are all really just displaced farm girls. We are announcing the new store front any day now! Heidi makes the most adorable children's clothing. She has many more things up her sewing sleeve so stay tuned and prepare to be wowed! Heidi is our resident cowgirl and rodeo queen, so she has quite the surprises in store. W
My passion is beautiful, lovely, breathtaking paper, as you all know, because many of you share the same affliction. You can add to the obsession ribbon, buttons, bling, metal, ephemera and anything I can use glue on to alter. I'm always on the hunt for something vintage and yummy to add to the mix. :) My latest creation is one I want to share with you.

This is a 16 page Vintage French Country Mini Album that is aged to perfection, and now available as a kit for you to create yourself. You get everything you see in this album, except the photographs. I'm sure you'd rather have your favorite photos in this album than mine. ;)

***UPDATE*** This kit is now available at my Etsy Shoppe Nest Feathers Paperie.
Top brand name lines are used in this album kit as well as some unique vintage pieces that I feel added just the right touch. I dipped into my personal stash of vintage items and ribbons to make this kit extra special and unique. Limited quantities available and... just a hint...they started selling before they hit the site. :) I have many more things in the works: greeting cards, altered items, journals, mini album kits and scrapbooks and pages. Custom orders always welcome. If you have something in mind, or need a gift for a special occasion, just drop me an email. Enjoy and thanks so much for looking!

♥♥♥ What is it about Winter? ♥♥♥

2010-12-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

That makes everyone want sweets? It can be a piping hot cup of cocoa, or a plate of warm cookies...it really doesn't matter. Just so it's sweet. Tucker has been begging for caramel apples... a lot. In fact, he said it would be 'life changing'... his words. ;) So, we piled everyone in the van and went down to the local candy store here and this was the result.
His very first. Can you just feel the excitement? lol

And after an afternoon of sledding, here is Wyatt's first taste of hot chocolate, complete with snowman marshmellows. Oh yeah baby, that's what I'm talking about!

And to top it all off, how about a batch of old fashioned mud cookies?

Come spring, I've got two words for ya. Weight Watchers. ;)

Lots of knitting time....

2010-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

It's been 4 weeks now since I decided not to turn the light on while coming down the steps from the bedroom. I missed the last two steps and ended up dislocating my right foot, breaking both ankles and my fibula in my right leg. Sigh. Funny thing is, I didn't want to bother anyone by turning the light on. Yeah, I didn't really accomplish that now, did I? lol As a side note, this is the first time in 20 years of marriage that we've been without health insurance. Sigh again.

On the bright side, which I've worked really hard at keeping my mind dwelling on, I've had lots of time to knit! I'm a new knitter and as a family we took a vote and decided that Wyatt (a brand new 4!) should get the first completed projects I could manage. Here they are! Isn't he sweet? He's so proud of his new hat and scarf and knows that mommie made them just for him. ♥♥♥

If it's winter time where you are like it is here, please be careful on all the snow and ice. Oh, and turn your light on. ;)

After 33 years...

2010-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Our family has been reunited with someone that's never left our hearts. ♥ My husband's stepmom, who we affectionately call our "bonus mom", made the heartwrending decision to give up precious baby girls for adoption. She did it for their own safety and the amazing desire for them to have a better life. This was before she became my husband's stepmom and came into their life. I had been working with Sue for over 11 years to try to find them, then 3 more on my own. We filled out every form we knew to fill out, and I blasted internet adoption sites and boards with their info. We had nothing to go on, nothing. Records were locked up tight. Sadly, my mother in law passed away very unexpectedly three years ago. But I continued looking. I made a promise. I'm glad I did. 4 weeks ago I got an email from one of twins. I couldn't believe it. Could not believe it.
After many phone calls and emails, one of the girls is going to come see us today. She's flying across the country with her husband and baby girl. We can't wait. I've been working on two quickly made scrapbooks for the girls full of photos of their mom. I used premade photo albums, the kind with the pockets for 4x6 photos, altered the front covers, added in patterned paper thru out, covered the front and back inside covers, and added in embellishments. I sprinkled facts about their mom thru out the pages, too. It was such an honor to work on something so important for them. Can't wait to give it to them today.

First Memory

2010-08-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on layouts for the Book of Me project. How many times, as scrapbookers, do we chose every other subject but ourselves? I'm trying to sprinkle in a few layouts about myself as the months tick by. My children love them. It feels good to record the stories. How about you? Are you working on this project, too? I'd love to hear what subjects you've loved telling about. ♥
(Melissa Frances papers and embellishments, Prima flower, Tim Holtz ink)

Lasterday

2010-08-03T00:42:00.001-07:00

I love this word my little Wyatt uses. Kind of makes sense, doesn't it? ;) We got home lasterday from a huge family reunion that was really just quite amazing. It was the 65th annual family reunion of the Way family. This is my hubby's great grandfather's last name. There were over 100 of us there, all camping in tents and rv's. It was wonderful. The reunion is funded fully by the Family Night Auction. Now that was fun! Whoever wants to donates items to be auctioned off. There were new items, vintage items and my favorite...hand crafted arts made by family members. These included birdhouses, pottery, homemade brew, jerky, aprons, scarves, jewelry, tote bags and blankets. I made some greeting cards, paper and chipboard purse and an altered journal. All together we raised just right under $4000! This pays for the entire campground and much of the food for the 4 1/2 day event. What a great family! We're so honored to be a part of it! ♥

The Littlest Cowboy

2010-07-23T00:48:00.000-07:00

Tucker and I have been making cards with he and Wyatt's photos of them from their first rodeo a couple of weeks ago. I love this photo of Wyatt in the stands. Isn't he sitting like a little man? :) He's three. Love that baby! I distressed all the edges in this card, inked them with Tim Holtz's Vintage Photo, added foam tape for demension under the denim strip and then used my bracket punch for the bandana trim. I like the way it turned out. The card is heavy enough that it can displayed on a little easel by the boy's grandma or aunts. Hope they like it. I'm going to go now and pinch his little cheeks! ♥

Heirlooms Mini Album

2010-06-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest little mini album that I did for a challenge over at Scrap Sisters Studio. I loved doing this one! I had to pull it out of thin air, which was so much fun. Every page had to be a different shape, and have a different edge. I hand cut most of these and they're all out of different material: chipboard, stiffened felt, grungeboard, patterened paper, cardstock, etc. I used a lot of peek a boo overlays, too, which adds to the excitement to me when you're looking thru an album, kind of a teaser of what's to come! I made this to put photos of family heirlooms in so my little boys will have the stories behind them recorded forever. Enjoy!

Teacher's Gifts!

2010-06-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a budget friendly idea for a cute teacher's gift. Useful, too! Take craft buckets and embellish them with school themed ribbon and dimensional stickers, tie on some chipboard letters and fill with school supplies. Your child's teacher will love you! (the last one is filled with those soft pink erasers, it's hard to see them from the camera angle)(and btw, how did Tucker get to be a little boy that's graduating from 1st Grade already!!!) So, what did you come up with for teacher's gift ideas? I'd love to hear!

How does your English work?

2010-06-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

Do you say a word wrong? You know, do you know you do and you do it anyway?

Or...does a family member? Come on, you can throw them under the bus here and we won't tell, promise. ;)

My brother says simular. Yeah, you know, instead of similar. Drives me batty. I can't tell him, though. I love him too much.
My dad says wrench, like "did you wrench those dishes in the sink yet?" Makes me smile.
My little Tucker says held. "Would you held my hand?" Nobody better tell him it's wrong, either! I want to hang on to every bit of baby in him that I can.
Wyatt phrases things wrong in the most adorable three year old way imaginable. "We went to the car fixerman and he's going to fix our truck....because." Yep, that's the end of the sentence. ♥

so....what about you? got some good ones?

And now...for your viewing pleasure....the child that makes me laugh til my sides hurt.

20 Years Ago Today....

2010-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend. We still haven't run out of things to talk about. ♥♥♥

Our new love...

2010-05-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Meet Sadie!

We just adopted her from the humane society yesterday! She is awesome. She's an Australian Shepherd. We don't know much about her past, but she's a young adult and is the perfect fit for our family. After I gave her a bath at the shelter, let her interact with the boys (which went fabulously!) and getting a groomer to groom her on short notice, we went back today and brought her home. She's already bonded with us pretty strongly. It's amazing how fast they can tell who loves them and will care for them. After the new pink collar and leash and the appropriately cute pink heart ID tag, she's all fixed up. :) With a new bed, bowls, a great bag of food and treats and all the special fun things she needs, she's settled right in. Can't wait to go back and see her today!

Texas Bound

2010-05-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

A sad day in our home last Sunday. One of my very favorite uncles in my whole life passed away very unexpectedly, shaking our family very much. I quickly put together a trip to Texas for my mom, my little boy and myself, leaving Ron with our three year old for almost a week. The silver lining in our trip was being back home and taking Tucker back for the first time. It was wonderful to be with family again, and to show him the sights and flavor of being Texan. It will always be home. This was Tucker's first plane ride, a huge event by any standards. He was so excited that all of those within earshot of him enjoyed listening to him as he looked out of the window. He thought he saw Antarctica and then Egypt. :) Then the pilots invited him up into the cockpit to actually hold the controls and push the fire alarm button. I'm sure memories were made for him that will last a lifetime. Another bittersweet moment for me was crossing the causeway into Galveston for the first time in 15 years, and definitely the first time since Hurricane Ike ravaged that beautiful, historical island. Lots of tears shed there, but also lots of happy memories revisted. I took Tucker to my childhood home and took his picture on the front steps, just like my mom had done to me. He put his hand in my handprint I made with my daddy in our driveway. More tears. He played on the beach and found his first scallop shells. He saw the elementary school I went to and the hospital where I was born. He saw the place where his father and I were married and Aston Villa where we had our wedding reception. I took him to see the first home we had as newlyweds. So many memories, so much emotion. I'm thankful I had to opportunity to show him the place that will always be "home" in my heart. ♥

Jeanne Robertson "Don't send a man to the grocery store!"

2010-04-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen! Makes me miss my wonderful, colorful Southern womenfolk so much. Disclaimer...you might need to wear a Depend when you see this. ;)

Oh, if you'll scroll down and see the tunes player on the left you can pause it so you can hear her.

Greeting Card Time

2010-04-03T23:37:00.001-07:00

It's been so long since I've had a minute to update. Thank you for bearing with me! If you have little children and are also in school yourself, you know what I'm talking about! I did manage to snag a few minutes last week to get off a few cards to some very dear friends of mine who have needed a little pick me up. Believe or not, both of them have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's unthinkable how common this disease has become. The amazing thing about both of my friends though, is that no matter what they are going thru they end up being the ones who lift everyone else up. Everyday matters guys. This is not a dress rehearsal. Savor the moments, because they make up your life. ♥

ISR

2010-03-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

Infant Swimming Resource - a new venture for our family starting this week. This is a life saving swim course designed for infants and young children. I first heard (or saw) this course when my Uncle Bit sent me a video link in an email a few years ago. I watched the video, the same one I'm providing a link to for you, and sat at my computer desk and cried I was so moved by it. Last year there was a young boy, 4, who nearly drowned in the pool I take my boys to. His mom is a good mom, but like all moms and dads is just human and got distracted for just a moment by another one of her children. When she turned back around....she couldn't see Sebastian. She started calling his name, then screaming it. Other parents stood up to see if they could help. Finally...after what seemed like forever...someone saw him. He was at the bottom of the pool. So that you can breathe I will tell you that Sebastian survived. He did not have an easy road, though. He was lifeflighted to Portland and put into a drug induced coma for several weeks. His mom, having three other children, had to leave them and live in Portland and stayed with him constantly. It was nothing short of a miracle that he recovered. The doctors really didn't know if he would. To add to my panic about this...two other children I know drowned when I was living in Texas. It happens. It only takes a moment. So...we've made the huge commitment of time to get our little ones to lessons daily until they learn something I hope they'll never need. I'll keep you posted as we progress and hope to post photos for you. I wrote to ISR for three years begging them to come to our area. I am so thrilled that they did and that we know can have our babies learn this amazing skill. I'd love to hear your comments if you've done this course. If you want more info. please check out their website or I can send you a link to our instructor.

Hugs, Angie ♥♥♥

Project Life....Week Four!

2010-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe an entire month has gone by...of the year or of this project! That means that one twelfth of it is over girls! See, it's not that hard, is it? ;) I borrowed my page title from a layout I saw Cathy Z do one time and thought it was so cute. And so true. My little guy has his first crush. Yep. How did that much time go by? He decided to rewrite his love note to go with the little gift he made up for Scarlet, so I tucked it into the pocket on the second page. Ssshhh, don't tell him, ok? :) The title is simply Thickers put on top of the page protector, and the silhouttes are from A Child's Year Cricut cartridge. Love that thing!

Project Life

2010-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Well I did it! I made a commitment to a grand project, one of the biggest that scrapbookers can make. And you know what? I'm loving it! My commitment was to take a photo a day for an entire year. I love the idea of photographing and documenting the everyday things, the little things, that make up an entire life. You've heard the saying "Life is in the details"? I really believe that. It's the small moments that I know will give me so much joy when I look back on them. This will help me not forget, and help my children know how much we enjoyed their childhood with all the magical moments in it. Here are my pages so far. I have loved this project. I bought Becky Higgins very well made kit, it seemed to make this doable for me and actually comes out to be more cost effective. My time is so limited that this seemed the only way to go, at least for this year. I've added some dimension to my pages with buttons, tags, flowers and rubons. You can totally make page protectors pretty! There are other kits out there like Memory Works Simple Stories that I just love. If you want more info leave me msg cause I know a great little consultant who will get one into your hot little hands. ;) Any other Project Lifers or P365ers out there? How ya doing? Having as much fun as me?

And we have a winner!

2010-01-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a little eye candy. This is a sampling of the goodies I'm going to include in the RAK. After posting all the entries into random.org (and you guys did great, there were a ton!) .....drumroll please!

the winner is Snipsandsnails! Yay! Love your name, by the way. And just because this was so much fun for me I decided to draw another winner. Ready? It was Laura...who I happen to know from the CKMB! cool, huh? Snipsandsnails is also an active member, so that's was fun that it worked out that way. Please pm me your addy's and I'll get your packages of goodies out this week. Thank you all for posting and sharing my excitement with me over the scrapspace I created. Your comments truly warmed my heart. Please continue to stop by and visit and I'll try to keep you entertained with pretty things to look at. I've really enjoyed visiting your blogs, too! Stay tuned, more fun is to come! ;)

girls...there are more items included than the scrappy supplies shown, but there are only one of some items, okie dokie? ;) thanks for understanding! have fun with your new supplies!

A New Beginning

2010-01-04T11:51:00.001-08:00

Today has been bittersweet for us. Our baby, our first baby, started school today. After a great run with homeschooling our life has taken a few turns and my hubby and I are both starting school this week. So...our little guy, Tucker, started school, too. To say he was beyond excited is an understatement. We survived the goodbyes, but both had a little cry when we got home. Where have these past six, wonderful years gone to? Will the next six, or sixteen go this fast? Slow down...please slow down.

2009-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: The drawing for the winner will be posted by this Saturday. Thank you! :)

Here is my newly built scrapbook space! Can I just say...I LOVE it! After scrapbooking on my kitchen counter and totally consuming the dining room table for waaaay too long, I was able to build this space out of a niche in my bedroom. Thanks to my unbelievably patient and accomodating sister and brother in law who hauled themselves up to IKEA for me, I had the components needed to get cabinet bases, shelves and a countertop of my dreams. I still have to paint a couple of 2x4's (don't look too close) :), but other than that it's complete. I can't wait to finish up a few scrappy projects and start some new ones. My sewing machine is tucked behind the dress form on the right, and I even have cutouts for the electrical cords. In honor of my newly defined space and also because my blog is about to pass the 13,000 (!) mark with hits from 38 countries, I want to give away my first RAK to you, my faithful readers. It'll be a good one, promise. Who knows, I might even throw in an extra surprise! ;) Here's what you need to do to win.... Each thing you do gets you another entry!

1. Leave a comment on my blog under this post. If you post an organizational tip, you'll get an additional entry.

2. Become a follower, then leave a post that you did that.

3. Leave a link to my blog about this RAK on another site, and come post and tell me where you did it.

4. Leave a post about your favorite thing you like about my new space (just cause it's fun for me to read!) hee hee

Ok, did you count them? That's five separate posts that mean five entries you can rack up! The RAK will be a great big 'ol honking package! If you want to see before photos and also pictures of the entire room my scrappy space is in, check out the two previous posts of this blog! P.s.: In case you're wondering, yes...those jars are all filled with ribbon. ;) They are beautiful recycled candle jars! If you want a zoom shot, just click on any photo.

UPDATE!!! You have til Dec 31st to get all your entries in! :) Drawing will be held the first week of Jan. 2010.

Disclaimer...so, so sorry, but contest for US residents only.

In the words of Julie Andrews...these are a few of my favorite things.

Dreamy organization...sigh

The deal of the century right here...Michael's had these dies on clearance for $9.99 and yes, you could use a coupon! Regularly priced @ $149.99 each..yes, you can gasp now!

Prisma yumminess!

Sweet Inspiration, oh, can you see the tiny hat stand and hat that my handsome prince bought for me?

My heart belongs to them...look at those eyes.

The Cherry on Top!

Scrap area....the bedroom

2009-12-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the room my scrapspace is in.

Galveston Homes

Galveston Street Scene

Galveston Yard Sale Treasure, a very special doll from a very special friend, oh and see the beautiful jewelry box my little boy got for me?

Gifted Treasure from my Sister in Law, see the tiny quilts, too? :)

The before photos...

2009-12-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

of my scrapbook area....lots of work ahead!

It's Coming!

2009-12-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

And for your viewing pleasure....a RAK! My very first! Thank you for your patience in waiting for photos of my newly built scrapbooking space. I cannot wait to show you all the magic that has been worked. :) Photos will be forthcoming, probably tomorrow at the latest, cause it's really already tomorrow. It's about 2 a.m., but shhhh, don't tell my mother. ;) My hubbie has been so patient with me over the past two weekends while I work long into the night in our bedroom and he sleeps with our little boys on the floor in the other room. If you have computers, phones, faxes, a cricut, postal machines, etc. etc then you know the tangled web we weave of USB cables, phone lines, cable lines, and electrical cords when we unplug everything, rearrange furniture and start all over again trying to plug the chaos back in. It's finally done. All is assembled and working, the furniture is built, the counter top is cut and the pretty little inspiring touches are in place. Tomorrow I vacuum and then the picture taking will begin! In conjunction with that I'm hitting a huge milestone on my blog! I'm almost at 13,000 hits from over 38 countries! I really cannot believe it and want to thank you all so much for coming to visit so often. My blog is relatively new, only starting in April, so that is super exciting for me. I remember being amazed when it hit 100! The RAK is not to be missed and will be loaded with scrappy goodness. Stay tuned...

IKEA

2009-12-07T02:59:00.000-08:00

I think it must stand for: I know, everything's amazing! I actually haven't ever been, but have lived vicariously thru my wonderful sister (in law) who treked herself and my husband's twin that was born one year after him (hee hee) up there today and picked out my new scrapbooking workspace for me. Can't wait to get it! It's been a dream in the making for a long, long time. It'll be here Thursday, so I hope to have photos of the completely remade space by Sunday night. See. Now it's in print. I have to finish it! I love the drawers in the base cabinets, they're like map drawers, shallow and wide. Perfect for scrapbookers who love stamps and punches. Anyway, stay tuned for pictures. I have shelves, pretty glass jars, wall decor, the whole works, just waiting in the wings to have a new home. I've been saving things for awhile, some new and some vintage. Imagine that. lol

Mysteries of Me Mini Album

2009-11-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

OK, here it is! This is probably the most involved project I've done in awhile, but it certainly was worth the effort. This is the result of a wonderful Lizzy Kartchner class I took online, and we were given the idea and asked to use it as a catalyst to create our own album. I loved using my own supplies and things that were special to me. There were many techniques I used on this, including cutting shapes from acrylic and covering them with vintage German glitter glass, hand dyeing the tags with tea and vanilla and tinting paper with alcohol inks. Each section is like a little chapter of my life and I've included photos that fit the topic. I have photographed the project for you before I've included most of the journaling. It's a very personal project, so I'm sure you'll understand. All the pages will be attached with a ring and nestled together. The holder for the album is a vintage cloth covered book.

Mysteries of Me

2009-10-23T00:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so loving the online class I'm taking by the ever fabulous Lizzy K. We're working on altering a vintage book, inside and out...and the inside holds a fabulous surprise. Surprise...you'll have to wait to see that part of it cause it's not finished yet. :) Here's the cover. I didn't purchase her entire kit cause they sold out (yeah Lizzy!), but am using my stash... which is plentiful but that's just our little secret, ok?
Oh, you can click on the photo to enlarge for details if you like. Isn't it cute?

Two Boys, Dirt and some Marshmallows...big fun to follow

2009-10-17T00:39:00.001-07:00

Hi friends! Thanks so much for hanging with me during my absence. I'm back and have so much to post for you! We've had some big changes going on in our lives, not all of them good. So...we're in the process of reinventing ourselves and figuring out what our next steps are. My wonderful husband is in the process of being laid off from a job he's had for almost 14 years. I have stayed at home to raise our two young sons for the past 7 years so there in lies the delimma. I like being at home with my children. We have both decided to go back to school. That part is exciting, and intimidating. We homeschool my oldest little guy, so we have a lot to figure out as my husband is busy applying for other jobs, of which there are very few in this particular state, an in particular in this part of the state.

Better news! We took our little miracles camping for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Super fun, memories were made to last a lifetime. Lots of wildlife, in fact Tucker stood right by a doe nursing her little fawn. Yes, they came right up to him. Awe inspiring for sure. Of course, had to get a shot of Wyatt's first marshmallow ever. My sweet baby. Isn't his hair gorgeous? Oh, and in case you're wondering...yes it was very cold at night but we'd have a 60 degree jump during the day.

Lots of scrapbooking projects to be posted over the next few days. Finally! Shout it from the rooftops! ;)

It's a proven fact that there is a direct correlation between how much dirt is on a kid and how much fun he had. I think T. scored big.

and here's that look that got me exactly 20 years ago this month. He's still got it.

To Do List

2009-09-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have to give credit for this great idea and layout to the always talented Lizzy Kartchner. I just love her work. This is the third in a series I'm doing for the Book of Me album I'm working on for my boys. The cardstock is Bazzil and the embellishments are from Chatterbox. Adorable, aren't they? :)

My Son...the Robot

2009-08-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been far too long since I've been able to post, but hope you will overlook that when you see these hilarious photos. My six year old is completely bonkers for robots, so we spent quite a bit of time working together on this costume for him. I have to say he had quite a lot to say about the details of this design! What fun it is to have a six year old running around the house. Stay tuned for lots of scrapbooking projects in the next couple of weeks. I'm working like a busy beaver these days!

2009-08-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here it is! This is a milestone, just to get those first photos down on a page! Yeah! The paper is from Creative Imaginations and the flowers are Prima. (of course) The photos were taken at our reception which was in a gorgeous old historical mansion in Galveston called Ashton Villa. We had our reception in the huge ballroom, but they also allowed us to use parts of the house to take photographs in, which was amazing because we could actually use the furniture to sit on, etc. The room in the photo of us sitting used to be the second floor of the mansion, and there is a waterline mark on the huge gilded mirror in that room where the high water from the Gulf was during the 1900 storm, the country's worse natural disaster, much, much worse than Katrina. The islanders came together and did something monumental...and unheard of. It took several years but they built a seawall and also raised the elevation of the island by dredging in silt from Galveston bay, and for years all the sidewalks were basically wooden planks on stilts way up in the air. Most homes were raised up, but mansions like Ashton Villa couldn't be lifted so the bottom stories were filled in with mud and silt. If you look closely when you're standing outside of the home, you can barely see the arched brick window frames of the top story windows behind the flower beds. It was a beautiful home, a perfect day I'll always treasure, and I married my best friend and the man of my dreams. (this is also the scraplift challenge for August) this looks so much better in person. The flowers and the ribbon are all glittery.

Altered Journal

2009-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

This is the first project for my new venture teaching. I'm so excited to start this and get the class going. After lots of "drilling drama" I finally got it right and this was the end result. The gorgeous papers are from My Mind's Eye and I thought they were such pretty colors. Green has seriously become my favorite color over the years? I inked the black binding with a pretty olive green to alter it. There is a groovy inside pocket that holds a coordinating clip embellished with some pretty fibers, and a place for a pretty pen. What do you think, think the class will 'sell out'? :)

2009-07-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

This week started our second challenge for the BOM (Book of Me). If you are playing along with me, the theme is "Oh to be...." and you can fill in the blank with whatever appeals to you. It might be something you wish you could have done, somewhere you wish you could be, or a time period that you look back on with happiness. I chose to use a photo of myself at 3. I have such happy memories of my childhood and can remember when this photo was taken. My mom's friend had kept me for the day and totally played dress up with me, which I loved! Lots of old hats and pearls. You can click on the photo to read the journaling close up. What will you pick for your page? Please post a link to your blog so we can follow along with your BOM, too! Is there a time in your life you'd like to journal about for your children?

Heritage Layout of my Grandma

2009-07-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest LO I've done for a wonderful scrapbook store I'm designing for. It's a photo of my grandma and her sisters. She's the cutey on the left. They were all born in East Texas. I love this photo. It's the only one I have of her as a little girl. Her name was Onie. I put a hidden journaling tag to the right of the photo. My grandma and her sisters stayed close their entire life, choosing to live as close as they could to one another, calling each other on the phone almost daily for decades. They all lived into their late 80's or 90's. I think about them so often. They were true Southern Belles. This paper line is by Best Creation, Inc. and it's super glittery. I used Glimmer Mist on the flowers and the background paper in the center. The butterflies are from Creative Imaginations. I love them. What do you think?:

Book of Me Challenge

2009-07-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

My friends over at All Moments Remembered have started a great challenge I'm very excited to participate in. It's an album called the Book of Me. Basically, it's a gift created for your children, husband or family that tells them all about you, and what you'd like them to know and keep forever. I have wanted to do this for my children, and I plan on doing one about my husband for them, too. How many times have you wondered something about one of your parents, or grandparents and wished it was recorded somewhere? I'm going to list various ideas for topics that might be scrapped in an upcoming blog post...so stay tuned. If you have ideas, please leave me a comment, too! Hope you like my layout....My oldest son loved it! Oh, if you want to see details close up, just click on the photo and it will zoom for you.

A Smile Lasts Forever

2009-07-06T10:33:00.001-07:00

Here is a lo I completed of a photo of my little boy on a trip to a local farm last year. I love the way the sunlight is on his hair, and that adorable little face. Oh, if they would only stay little longer. I posted this on All Momemnts Remembered as a scraplift challenge for my design team assignment. Hope everyone has fun with it. The overlay is from Fancy Pants and the papers are from Graphic 45 and coordinated with his shirt perfectly. Now if I could only match the rest of our family's wardrobe with all my scrapbook papers!

Front Porch Love...Welcome Home!

2009-07-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just love summer! I love sitting outside on my front porch and having iced tea with family and friends. I've always wanted a covered front porch after leaving home when I got married. A couple of years ago my wonderful husband made that dream come true and we covered our deck. Here are some photos of our yard and porch. I love all the flowers and trees. We've had deer in our yard, squirrels all the time (which is always still exciting to me, especially when three at a time come and run all over the roof playing chase) and even a mountain lion (a little too exciting!) This porch is up pretty high, so it's like being in a secret little tree house!

Notes....what a fun way to keep them!

2009-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'm a big list maker, of all kinds of things. I took a class at the Creating Keepsakes convention in March and saw this as one of the projects. This one I changed up quite a bit, and loved the way it came out. I made this for a very dear friend as a gift.

Great RAK!

2009-06-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a great RAK that is being given away by a fellow blogger. Check it out! Here's the link:

http://lisafalduto.blogspot.com/2009/06/prize-package.html

Thank you! I'm really honored...

2009-06-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

My first award...a little teary eyed here. Thank you so much Amanda for the Kreativ Blogger Award. Please visit Amanda at this great blog she has going. http://paperscrapsandpicturepassion.blogspot.com/ Here are the rules of the award...
1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2) Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award
4) Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting
5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
6) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate
7) Leave a comment on each of the seven blogs letting them know they have been nominated.
ok...7 things, huh?
1. I would love to live in a canyon in southern Utah...I think about it daily. I cry everytime I see Zion.
2. I wish I was from England....but the South is the next best thing!
3. I've wanted to be a mommie since I was a little girl.
4. I've read hundreds of books, and always have a stack by my bedside.
5. I get the giggles and can't stop, at the most inappropriate times. :)
6. I used to train exotic birds. I love animals.
7. I love chips and salsa.

Now...for the blogs I nominate, in no particular order...I love you all!

Cindy over at The Vintage Vignette
http://www.thevintagevignette.blogspot.com/

Jing Jing at This Little Art of Mine
http://thislittleartofmine.blogspot.com/

Jennifer at Learn.Create.Inspire
http://jenniwren32.blogspot.com/

Lizzy Kartchner at Just Us
http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/ I know you're probably too busy Lizzy, but I gotta try. I love, love, love your blog and your work!

Erica at Scrapbook Obsession
http://scrapbookobsession.wordpress.com/

Noel Joy at Paper Passion and Pixel Mania
http://paperpassionpixels.blogspot.com/

Jingle at Just Jingle
http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Enjoy the award...you all deserve it for having such amazing blogs and putting such effort and love into them!

What do you collect?

2009-06-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

I love to collect things that have meaning for me. I really think this must be genetic. Some of my treasures have been with me since childhood. Some belonged to the wonderful southern women I came from. Here are a few of my favorite things:
Old beaded handbags
Buttons
Birdhouses
Old linens and lace
Vintage clothes, especially baby things
Hats
Old family photos
New family photos
Ribbons
Love letters
White pitchers
White bunnies
Tea pots
Old Chintz Tea cups
Old baby dolls
Books
Vintage Peter rabbit items
Hatpins
Vintage inspire jewelry
Seashells
Stamps for my little boy
Old friends, some newly made.

As you can see, my home looks like a museum. I love it. It's so cozy, comfortable and full of meaning. Each item tells a story about where we were when it was found, or what dear friend passed it along to me. I think it's wonderful to surround oneself with things that have meaning just for you. Your home becomes an extension of who you are and what you value. It can inspire you, bring you peace, and give you comfort. What do you collect?

Mini Art Journal

2009-06-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know if your little boy is as robot crazy as mine is, but he literally screamed when he saw this little notebook I made for him! What more could I ask for, right? This was such a fun and easy project to do. I bought a premade spiral unlined notebook because he loves to draw (mostly robots at the moment!) Then I covered the front and back in patterned paper, layers of embellishments and lots of modge podge so they wouldn't come off with little hands touching it all the time. The papers and stickers are from K&Co's Kazoo Kids line. I inked and also painted highlights in metallic paint to pick up the metal of the robots. The planets are punched circles that are inked with rings painted around them, and the stars are tranparant acrylic shapes. The robot's 'contrail' is an acrylic flourish. Metal brads finish off the hardware look. I plan on making more of these in different styles, and I'm seriously needing a dose of pink in an upcoming project! With two boys and mostly nephews I'm overdue for something girly!

Graphic 45 emailed!

2009-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

There was a nice surprise waiting for my in my inbox today. Graphic 45 wrote to say that they had chosen my Altered Journal and Box as a featured artist item on the front page of their website! Take a looksie if you have a minute....

http://g45papers.typepad.com/

I'll write more later...I have been deathly ill with food poisoning or the flu...stay well everyone!

And now for something completely different!

2009-06-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

6 x Six x 6
I was nominated by Susie Jefferson of the UK and The First Floor Flat to do a fun little challenge for my blog.

This is what it's all about:

Go to the 6th folder of your pictures
Find the 6th picture and tell a story about it
List 6 other bloggers you’d like to see participate (NO obligation)

Here is the sixth photo from my sixth folder. Of course, it was my little boy, Tucker! No surprise there. This was such a special night for all of us, but a real dream come true for him. The Riders in the Sky came and did a wonderful concert and we were able to meet and visit with them for quite awhile after the show. They were nice enough to autograph Tucker's 'Woody' doll's cowboy hat. Woody Paul, the fiddler of the group, is the real cowboy that the Woody doll is created after. Tucker was so happy that night he couldn't sleep for hours. He was in 'cowboy' mode for weeks!

Here are the six blogs I nominate to do the next round...no obligation, but it was really fun! I nominated you (in no particular order) because I think you and your blogs are awesome!

Erika....of Scrapbook Obsession (http://scrapbookobsession.wordpress.com/)

Noel Joy....of paper passion & pixel mania (http://paperpassionpixels.blogspot.com/)

Jingle...of Just Jingle (http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/)

Abby...of Scrapbook Frenzy (http://scrapbookfrenzy.blogspot.com/)

Jenny...of Loving this crazy life (http://zeldadog1.blogspot.com/)

Liz...the possibilities are endless (http://blogerisms.blogspot.com/)

Thank you for participating if you are able. Can't wait to see what you have!

Want some candy?

2009-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a great blog that's giving away some amazing candy. All you have to do is click the link below and go leave a comment, and add her link to your blog. Fun, huh? I've never seen these Laura Ashley items and am drooling to get them. She is located in the UK!

http://martinescrafts.wordpress.com/

Thanks Martine!

Guess who emailed?

2009-06-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

UPDATE on Altered Journal and Box: Ok, this is big news for me. Tim Holtz emailed...he loved the journal and box! My life is now complete. (just kidding, kind of) What a sweetheart he is. I can fly on this one for awhile. :)

It's Raining Thunder here in Oregon

2009-06-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has rained like cats and dogs today...really hard rain which is so unusual here. Yeah...our garden is going to love this! My baby is scared of all the noise and just looked at me very seriously and said "It's raining thunder mommy". That will be our new phrase for storms.. too cute! I was pointed in the direction of this fantastic new website for scrappers that miss Simple Scrapbooks. Check it out!

http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2009/06/welcome-to-write-click-scrapbook.html

I have just loved looking thru this site and reading what those inspirational women have recorded for us to read. I especially loved the section about how their lo's have evolved over time. I've wondered how mine will, since I'm pretty new to scrapbooking. You'll be sure to recognize some names here, and love getting to know some newbies, too. Click back to my blog and post a comment and tell me what you think!

Laugh Lines

2009-06-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

I did this layout about some of the funny things my little boys say. I listed 10 things, five on each side of the hidden journaling tag, one side for each son, Tucker and Wyatt. I used 7 different paper patterns with circles or dots as well as handpainted/glittered circles or dots on the letters. There are circle cut papers and punched circles, and even circle ribbon. The buttons and chipboard sun and flowers also have circles shapes. This was fun..it had me going in circles! (Oh, if you want to see a photo close up, just click on the photo and it will zoom for you! Pretty nifty, huh?)

Rider's In The Sky

2009-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an evening this was! We had been trying to get the Grammy winning cowboy group to come here for over 12 years, and they finally did! The Rider's in the Sky were amazing, and my little boy was beside himself. They came out after the concert and took lots of photos with him, so this is one page of a two page spread of them. The bottom photo is when they struck a pose of "The Cowboy Way", too cute! They signed the hat of Tucker's "Woody doll", the doll from Toy Story, which thrilled him no end. The real live "Woody Paul", the King of the Cowboy Fiddlers, is the cowboy on the right.

Altered Journaling Box

2009-05-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

I put this together yesterday to go with the journal I made a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed the process of this, it was all made with found materials...true scrappin! I thought that the altered journal needed either an easel to go with it, or a box to store it in, so this was the result of that. I built up a platform inside so that the journal was raised up, used modge podge and it gave the paper a wonderful waxed feel. I trimmed the edges in gaffer tape (love that stuff) and it covered the rough edges of the cardboard nicely. This all goes to the recipient this weekend...hope he likes it!

19th Anniversary

2009-05-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! It seems like we blinked and 19 years have gone by. Ron is still as wonderful as the first day we met, and I'm so blessed to have him and our two precious boys in my life. I cannot imagine life without them. We had such a nice date last night and actually had time to talk cause we left the boys with my parents for a couple of hours. Here's the card I made for Ron, he loved it. I used my new Nestabilities, they are going to be a great addition to my supplies.

Just for fun, here's a link to a YouTube video about Two Peas. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0gDeUG1pls&feature=related

Fun Sunday afternoon....

2009-05-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest layout. This was so fun! It's about Ron's grandpa, and his wonderful sense of humor. If you look closely at the photo, you'll get the joke. I loved using Graphic 45 paper on this, it has the look of men's pajama's, don't you think? The swirls are inked chipboard, diamond glaze and glass beads, my new favorite technique.

Altered Journal

2009-05-10T13:19:00.001-07:00

I just finished my latest project, and I had a blast doing it. It feels so good to get the creative juices flowing! I started out with a chipboard album and used some great 7 Gypsies papers to cover it. Then I took advantage of all of Tim Holtz's metals to embellish it, and the computer to add a custom book plate. I love inking around almost every edge, even the gaffer tape. It gives a great distressed look. I made a pocket in the front inside cover, for little memorablia to be tucked into. This is a present for a special someone, with lots of symbolism thrown in for him...hope he likes it!

This is what love looks like.....

2009-05-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

I love these new photos of my chick a dos and my hubby...those little guys have so much fun together! Here they're sharing a private joke....

New lo of our 'box sitter'

2009-05-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

I was able to capture some of the funny positions Wyatt has gotten himself into lately. This is such a fun age. He's trying to figure out his size in relation to things around him and always seeing what he fits into. I love this crazy, funky layout cause it's a thing I'll always remember about him being a baby. I never know what he'll be sitting in next!

Home - Sprague Lab - Digital and Hybrid Scrapbooking + Notes from JessicaSprague.com + Daily Goodness

2009-05-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

Home - Sprague Lab - Digital and Hybrid Scrapbooking + Notes from JessicaSprague.com + Daily Goodness

Favorite subjects.. My two little chicks...

2009-04-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

These layouts were so fun to do. The All Aboard layout is my son's first train ride. The look of wonder on his face is just priceless. It was his first glance at the life size Thomas the Train. The Little Fish layout was great to work on. I loved painting the raw chipboard swirls in to waves with several colors of MM paint, and also some crystal stickles and dimensional glaze. The water spots are raindots...

Welcome to my new blog that is about all things scrapbooking, papercrafting and mixed media art.

2009-04-28T01:27:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to have this new blog where we can share ideas, designs, techniques and all things related to the making of art that we love. I look forward to posting projects, sharing links to great sites and introducing you to other artists and their blogs, too. Please stop by and say hi and share the project you're currently working on. I'm finishing up an adorable Melissa Frances baby album, starting an altered journal that will be a present, and am in the middle of a huge venture to start up my own online store on Etsy! My goal is to be on an incredible design team one day soon and be able to experience this wonderful art form even more.