New Compuer....No Pictures!!!

My computer has been on the fritz for a while. In computer land- it was kind of old- 4 years. So my DH was sick of my yelling at the computer and decided to order a new one!!! It came yesterday and it is up and running! I also got upgraded Internet service and a new motem. So I will be able to blurf at lightening speed now. But the problem....all my pics are on my old computer!!!! I had stuff to share today!!! But it is much too dark to take new pics. So tomorrow I will re-photograph or get DH to transfer the pics. So stay tuned!

The kids are in bed and DH is playing with the puppies....I think I am going to steal some scrapping time!!!

New Stampin' Up! Rubber!!!!

LATE last night the UPS man came with my free stamps from the Sale-a-bration promotion and my order from the new preview catty! I made cards all day today! My SU! mojo was in the house!!! This card is going to be part of my Chipboard class next week. I cased this card from Jenn D.The flowers from this card are from the stitched exotics set. I have been wanting this set 4ever and getting it for FREE was the best!!!! Have I mentioned that I LOVE being an SU! demo?!
So what do you think of the patterned paper?!!! It comes from a pack in the preview catty called Bella Rose. And the color is Kiwi Kiss. It's going to be one of the new in-colors! I LOVE it!! Now I don't have to use Old Olive ALL the time. Just some of the time! And doesn't the Kiwi look nice with the Groovy Guava? Too bad the Guava will be retiring : ( I am stocking up on the Double Stitched ribbons and cardstock!!

Then centers of the flowers have a piece of chipboard covered in the DSP. Then I put the clear part of Build-a-Brad on top on that. It looks cool IRL!

Recipe:

Stamps: Stitched Exotics, Fun and Fast Notes

Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Groovy Guava, and Chocolate Chip

Other: Chipboard (On Board Accents), Groovy Guava Ribbon, Build-a-Brad

I am off to do some scrapping! I have had an idea in my head all day!!

Without Mommy- the house would go to poop!

This morning I woke up with a really bad migraine and my DH was still at work. When the kids woke up- I asked them to just sit in my son's room and watch a DVD. That lasted for about 2 minutes before they all went downstairs. I heard them let the dogs in. The dogs went up and down the stairs a few times. I heard them fighting over bananas. And at one point the baby came into my room (how did she get out of her crib?) holding her wet diaper. About 45 minutes later my DH came home. Here is what he came home to:

-poop and pee all over the floor (presumably from the puppies)

-banana peels all over the floor

-kids sitting at the table eating strawberries. They were pulling the stems and leaves off and they were also on the floor

-one of the puppies was eating a strawberry on the carpet

-Candee (the other puppy) was eating a candy cane off the floor (Now seriously- where did that come from?!!!) I guess she has earned the nickname of Candee Cane!!!

-Makenzie had a dirty diaper and (not to gross anyone out) the poop was all the way up to her shoulders

-Laynee was diaper less and he couldn't find her diaper but did discover that her crib was wet

- And finally he found me laying in bed

So now he knows what would happen if I didn't get out of bed and take care of the kiddos!!! Once he got over the initial shock of what he found- he had to laugh. When he told me about it, my reaction was "Did you take a picture?" It would have been a great scrapbook page!!! And it i,s a good thing that I have the BEST hubby- or I might not be around to type this right now!

I have a Christmas card for ya today! I used a sketch from the Got Sketch class. I love this sketch!!!!

I think you could actually use the insert to share a holiday recipe, a family picture, a gift card, a little note, etc.

The patterned paper is just some random paper that I found in my stash. But it would look great with the SU! Dashing paper from last year. But I only have a few scraps left. I can hardly wait to see what this year's holiday paper will look like. I will have the catty in my hands in just 3 weeks!!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Merry and Bright (last year's holiday mini), Just Celebrate (Occasions Mini)

Paper: random patterned paper, Real Red, Whisper White, Garden Green

Ink: Black, Real Red

Other: Lipstick Red Copic, Circle punches, scallop punch, tab punch, red grosgrain ribbon, staple

Wild about Ribbon!

It is only 1PM and yet it has already been a busy day! I actually forgot to take my son to a doctor appointment!! Oops!!! I figured that I would take a moment and post this card before I have to start picking kids up. Maybe I will even get a shower..... Moms- you know what I am talking about!!!

Anyway, this is the card that I made for my first swap with the Great Swaps Girls. I was in awe with some of the cards I got back!!!



Don't you just love ribbon?!!!! I am hoping for some more colors of striped ribbon and maybe some polka dot ribbon in the new catty!!! And maybe some satin ribbon too!!! I think that I will flip right to the ribbon when I first get the catty at convention instead of the stamps!!! Crazy, huh?

I am off again!!! I have some more scrappin to show you tomorrow and I already have my Christmas card ready to show on Friday!!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Wild About You
Paper: Jersey Shore, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi
Other: Striped Ribbon, Gingham Ribbon, Silver Brads, Large Oval Punch

Animals

I did some stamping today!!! But I am not going to show them to you...yet!!! I'm a tease, huh? I did get this scrapbook layout done today as well. It took about 15 minutes. I love that!!!

The cardstock is SU! The striped patterned paper and the chipboard letters are by Scenic Route. The lined paper is by Creative Imaginations (I bought it in every color!). The Monkey and the branches are by Embossable Designs. These are more of the products my hubby got me at the scrapbook store for an early birthday present!

Speaking of my birthday- it is only 10 days away!!! I am not the type that gets sad about birthdays and getting older. I am still like a kid!!! I can't wait to open gifts and eat cake!!!

I am off to watch a Chick Flick with my DH!!! See ya tomorrow!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, mom!
We celebrated over the weekend. It was a wild party- just check out Candee!!!
She's even smiling!!!

I will have some more eye candy for you in a bit. I am just sitting down to create.

Goofy!

I haven't been doing a ton of stamping lately- but I have been getting some simple and fun scrapbook layouts finished! This one took a total of 10 minutes and that includes the time spent picking papers!!!

The pattern papers are Scenic Route- expect for the one used for the background- it is from Creative Imaginations. The Die Cut sticker that I used for the title is by Bo Bunny. The brads and the marker are by Stampin' Up! The page turned a a bit busy- but I think it the perfect look for this fun picture of Laynee. She was supposed to be painting a pumpkin- but the only thing with paint on it is her sweet face!!!

Thanks for the sweet comments on my 4th of July page!! It was one of the layouts featured as Layout of the week at wwww.cardoftheweek.com!

I am going back to the scrapbook table! Maybe I can get another layout done before the kids get up from naps!

My Happy 4 and a Festive Friday

Last week, Heather announced that she would be posting a Christmas project every Friday. I LOVED the idea and so I am joining in! At least I know I will have some holiday crafting done before that crazy time of year!!!!I like this card- but I had a heck of a time with the glitter! First I rubbed the whole thing with my embossing buddy. I stamped the swirl from Baroque Motifs in Versamark and then embossed it with Heat and Stick powder. While it was still sticky I through on the red glitter and then reheated it. The glitter was only supposed to stick to the swirl. But as you can see- it didn't cooperate!! Any suggestions? I thought the embossing buddy would do the trick.....
Happy 4th everyone! Here are the four people that are making my 4th happy! Aren't they adorable?!!!!

The patterned paper and the star chipboard is by Scenic Route. I paired it some Night of Navy cardstock, Navy ribbon, Red Brads and a chipboard 4 from Stampin' Up. I just glued the patterned paper to the 4 and the stars and then sanded the edges. Cool, huh? I am doing a chipboard class this month. Hope to see ya there!

Happy 4th!!!

a little of everything!

I am so sorry that I have been such a bad blogger this week! My cousin has been visiting from New York. We have been keeping busy and I have been sharing my craft room. Even though I haven't been blogging, I have still been creating. So I have plenty to share in the next several days!

I made all the invitation for my girls' birthday party. The twins are turning 3 on July 30th and Laynee will be 2 on August 3rd. So we will be having one party to celebrate all 3. Gosh- I want to cry just thinking about how old my "babies" are getting. Anywho- here are the invitations:
The layout for this card came from the Got Sketch 101 class. Isn't it a cute layout?! I just LOVE how the invitations turned out!

Recipe:
Stamps: Life's a Breeze (the flip flop), and Bo Bunny's Aloha stamp set (YUMMY!!!)
Paper: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Whisper White, and patterned paper by Bo Bunny
Ink: Real Rust, Barely Banana
Other: Scallop Punch, Circle Punches, Soft Sky Ribbon, Slot Punch, Tab Punch, Staples, Computer Font (for the info on the insert)

As I was working on these invites- it occurred to me that I have not scrapped their birthday party from last year yet!!! All my friends know that I HATE scrapping birthdays. I don't know why- but I do!!! But I saw a cute sketch in my Page Maps book by Becky Fleck. I loved that I could scrap quite a few photos on just one page!

My hubby took me to a scrapbook store about an hour from our house. I was just looking for some paper for the party invites and he came up to me and said (and I am quoting) "Make sure you get a lot because you get 20% off of everything because it is your birthday month." Isn't my hubby the coolest!!! Trust me- I left with plenty!!! Including everything in this scrapbook layout and even some more organizational tools for my scrap room!

Recipe:

Paper: Patterned paper by Senic Route, Old Olive

Other: Chipboard by Senic Route, Thickers by American Crafts, and some candle embellishments by Me and My Big Ideas

I have plenty more crafts to show. But I am saving some for another day (including an ADORABLE 4th of July page for tomorrow- yes I already scrapped it!!!). But now I have some pics to share from our week!

Over the weekend, my parents came down and we all took the kids to the pool. They had a blast!!!! Which is why we decided that the birthday party had to be at this pool!
Here is Kyler jumping in the deep end of the pool! I am so proud since he wouldn't even sit on the stairs last year.

Here is Laynee jumping to my mom. Laynee is fearless!!! You won't even be looking at her and she will jump right on you. Do you remember this pic from earlier in the summer when she was scared of the water?! A month can sure change things!
And here is my fishy- Kenzie. She LOVES going swimming. She doesn't do much jumping in- but she loves to swim around in the area that has a about a foot of water.

A couple of nights ago, my cousin watched all of the kids and Scott and went on a date. At first we wanted to just go see a movie at the local theater. But we couldn't find anything that really interested us. So my DH suggested a Diamondbacks baseball game in Phoenix. I was 100% sure I wanted to go. But it turned out to be sooo much fun. Too bad the dbacks lost!!!
Now time for some puppy pics!
I am actually happy that my hubby decided to adopt the 2nd puppy. It is a lot of work doing the potty training- but at least they wear each other out! I no longer have to take the puppy on jogs around the block (in 112 degree heat) just to get him to sleep. But the female puppy, Candee, is kind of lazy! She loves to sleep. And she hates having to walk around much. She won't walk on a leash. She also loves to eat. And she has been known to just sleep in front of the dish of food. I think it is so funny!! I joke that she is part cat!!
I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th. I will be back tomorrow for sure with a scrap page and a Christmas card!!!

A Pretty Thanks

I made this card about a month ago for my Pretties class. And I was sure that I posted it. But when I needed to find it today- it was no where to be seen. So if this is a repeat- I apologize! I just love the little orange flower! I love that it was white and I was able to make it match my cardstock perfectly by just coloring it with a marker!

I actually made a new scrapbook layout today that I am super proud of- but I can't share it yet. Sorry!!! The rest of the day I spent working on Class by Mail kits.

Thanks Recipe:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Live Your Dream

Paper: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery

Ink: Old Olive

Other: Flowers from the Pretties kit, Pumpkin Pie marker, Rhinestore brad, Pumpkin pie striped ribbon

2 Cute

I am exhausted after a long day with family- but I do have a scrap page to share. I saw these Halloween pics last night and I felt inspired! (I apologize for the glare. I forgot to take pics when it was lighter.)The DSP is from a retired SU! pack called Creepy Crawly. (I can't wait to see what Halloween paper they have this year!!!! New catty coming soon!!!!)
I am totally addicted to these American Crafts Thickers letters! They are showing up on all my pages lately. They have dimension and they are very reasonably priced. Now if only I had a LSS to buy them at!

The polka dot ribbon is just some random ribbon that I had in my scrap ribbon pile. The orange is from SU!

I used the white gel pen for my journaling. I sure love that gel pen!

I am about to fall asleep on my keyboard! And my cousin is ready to do some more scrapping so I best get another burst of energy!!!

Bloom

First- I wanted to share my happy news! I was at Michael's today for an interview and I noticed that the July Cards magazine is out! My first ever published card is in there!!! It was exciting to see the card on those glossy pages!

I am just sitting down to do some scrapping. I haven't made anything yet today since I had puppy class, a birthday party and the interview. Plus, I have out-of-state family staying with me.

So I am showing you a pic of a layout that Jill made a few weeks ago. She used the Ginger Blossom DSP, the embrace life stamp set and some SU! rub-ons. Aren't the pictures of her daughter just too cute?!!


I hope to have something of my own to share tomorrow. But I do have another busy day with the church, swimming at the city pool and my parents coming for dinner. Happy Stampin'!!

My Happy Place

Oh, what a day!!! Nothing unusual happened. But with 4 toddlers, 2 puppies, and a hubby- everyday is an adventure. And today was no different. I kept Makenzie home from school today for a special day with mommy. We went to a swimming play date. Now have you ever seen anything so cute?!
I having been working on some cleaning and organizing in my stamp/scrapbook room this week. Every so often I have to go through and re-organize as I find I have new products and tools. I am happy to report that although I am sweaty and exhausted- I have found my happy place again!!! So I thought I would show it off tonight! First of all- I must warn you that my scrapbook room is pink with green polka dots. I am serious! Now pick your chin off the floor and check out my digs!
When we moved into this house a few years ago some friends painted my room for me and my hubby put this large counter top in. It goes across an entire wall and is about 2 feet deep! I LOVE it!!

I have struggled with paper storage for years- but I am happy to report that I have found a system that works for me!!!!
I have these 3 filing crates that I bought at Target. Two of them are for my 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock and one for my 12x12 cardtsock. I have a file folder for each of the 48 Stampin' Up! colors plus naturals and in-colors. Instead of organizing them by color families- I have them organized with all the blues together and greens together, etc. It is easier for me to find the paper that way. I used to waste to much time trying to figure out what color family a particular color was in. Whenever I have scraps that are smaller than 12 inches, I file them in front of the full sheets of 8 1/2 x 11. Then I can easily see if I have a scrap that is large enough or if I need to cut into a new piece. I am using so much more of my scraps now!!!!

This is my 12x12 and it is organized in the same basic way- except that I use the dividers that SU! sells because file folders won't fit in the crate. I didn't take a pic- but let me tell you a little about my pattern paper storage. I have 12x12 drawers that are in rolling carts under my counter. I have a couple of drawers just for SU! DSP. I keep the DSP in the original package it comes in and I do my very best to put all the scraps back in the package when I am done. The other drawers are used for non- SU! paper (organized by company with an extra drawer for "other"), envelopes, bags, projects that are in process, class projects, and my newest purchases. You can see these carts if you look at the 1st pic of my whole room. I bought the carts at Cosco.

This is my non SU! ribbon. It is stored up on a shelf in these cheap sterilite containers that I bought at Wal-Mart. I store my SU! ribbon in the storage system that SU! sells. But I am outgrowing them and I saw something at Michael's that I might have to try!

These 12x12 drawers are right above my workspace and contain my chipboard, hodgepodge, pretties, cutting tools, and various water coloring tools. I plan to label them- someday!
I store my punches on a towel bar that I purchased for a couple of dollars at IKEA. I am running out of space!!! I store some of my smaller punches in a hanging pail at the end of the bar.

I store my brads and buttons on these magnetic strips that I also purchased at IKEA. The brads stick right to the strip in the SU! container. The buttons I stick in these little round magnetic containers that I found at IKEA.



Here are my magazines. I am a magazine lover!!! I collect them! But I have promised myself not to keep more than a few months worth at my workspace. So I write down ideas or tear out a sketch and add it to my inspiration book. Then I have to the hard thing- and throw the magazine away!

Here are boxes with cards that I have made. They are super cheap show box containers that I got at Wal-Mart. I put all my cards in a clean envelope and then file them in these boxes by occasion. I made little dividers with the cardboard that comes in the DSP packs and the tab punch. Now I can find cards in a jiffy!
I like to showcase my newest creations on this old china cabinet. It used to be my mom's and I repainted it and took the doors off. It works out great in my craft room and allows me to feel inspired by my own work!

I store my SU! stamps in plate racks that hang on the wall. I purchased about 12 of them for IKEA for a couple of dollars each. Now I can see my stamp sets!!! It is easier to find what I am looking for as I have them separated by them (Christmas, sentiments, Alphabets, baby, ect) but it also makes it easier to find a set when you are not sure what you are looking for! These racks hang all over my room!

I hope you have enjoyed the tour!!!! I have more to show- but it is too dark to take pics! Leave a comment with some of your favorite storage tricks. I know everyone loves to get new ideas that the heap of stuff that we "need."

I am heading for the couch!!!