Merry Christmas!!

Wow! Where has the time gone since I last posted on my blog. It's been busy....just so busy! Maybe I can take a bit of a breath now and get back to some regular crafting. Last month I did the member layouts for Back Porch Memories, so I didn't have any layouts I could post. However, with the upcoming coooool kits you best believe I'll be sharing. :D I have a few crafty projects I did for Christmas that I want to share as soon as I photograph them.

I'm just loving this new laptop Santa brought us! Now I can be connected anywhere in the house! LOL I wish you all a blessed Christmas full of love!

BPM reveal day!

Just can't say enough about the Fancy Pants Rough & Tough...perfect boy paper! I loved working with it this month :D






Go check out the rest of the DT's work here

I lied...

there will be no creating only the sites of a bed once again...sigh! At least it's a clean bed, but the fever is back and I'm feeling like poo. Please sickness go away!!!

Since the last post...

I actually got worse! I have spent the last day and a half in bed with a fever reaching 102.5 only getting up when it was most important! You can totally see how lost my hubs gets when I'm down. He's not used to taking care of the family 100%...hee hee! I have to laugh!

So I finally feel a bit better to get out of the old bed, plus I'm worried bed sores might start. Whenever I get sick or any of the kids, I want to go clean crazy! So today, I think I will get that bed of mine changed for sure and clorox some other things around here. It seems Collin and I were the only ones to get whatever this is and he's staying home with me today as his cough is non-stop day and night. Time to call the doctor again! On Friday when he went in Dave was told it was only a chest cold. I'm thinking it's something more or at least it sounds like more! We'll see!

Enough talk of sickness and on to some happy scrappy talk!
You must see this month's kits at Back Porch Memories! Oh, I just love them!
The Solo features the totally cool Fancy Pants Rough & Tough..woo hoo!

Then the Medley features WRMK Twirl, Crate Paper Seasons (TERRIFIC paper!!) and Bella Blvd. Plastino!


Oh, and look at these stamps!


I don't care what it takes, I'm getting to my craft room today to create!
My early layout for the month which I barely could get together through my chills....that was bad! There was so much more I wanted to do with this layout, but I had to give up...lol


And this month I host a challenge and I decided to go with an easy one -- a quote challenge. I love quotes as they are so inspiring. The one I used on this layout jumped out at me while in search of a good quote. I knew this quote would be perfect for a layout I've been wanting to about Dave going back to school after taking the buyout. We are so very proud of him!!
The string got in the way of the quote in the picture, but it reads:
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream -- CS Lewis


Off to take DD to school and then to get something done around here. I hope my body hangs in there until at least noon and then it might be time for a nap...lol Have a blessed day, everyone!

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite times of the year and wouldn't you know the sick bug has hit me! It started with Collin and then crept over to me. I'm not bad, but just feeling worn down with a hacking cough and body aches. No H1N1...thank the LORD!! Just some little virus that decided to welcome itself. Still, I will get that jacket and shoes on of mine and take those kiddies trick-or-treating. Dave will hold me up and maybe give me piggy back rides when needed...lol Either way, I will not spoil my kiddies Halloween.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of some things I've created both in the way of food and crafts!
These cards are a lift of one that I saw on a blog some where -- sorry I can't remember to thank you. I thought they were totally adorable and since I had the same paper, I lifted away!


And then here are some rice crispy treats covered with white chocolate to simulate an eyeball. I made them for Marisa's class and can I just say they were DELICIOUS!


Hope everyone has a spooktacular Halloween!

Cropping

I participated in Transparent Touches Creepy Crawly Crop this weekend. I used a bunch of their challenges to give me some inspiration and motivation at the crop I went to last night given by Holly our favorite CTMH representative. We all had a fab time and she a super hostess giving out all kinds of "stamp fairy" prizes as she calls them. You can't go wrong with lots of prizes and lots of food and lots of laughs, now can you!!

Here are some things I created as I'm not the best at scrapping when it comes to crops. I just get too distracted and I swear there's something about sitting that just thwarts my creativity...really! I'm a scrapper who loves to stand, so sitting at the table makes me feel like a munchkin viewing my work...lol I know -- crazy! But I feel like I did a lot for what I normally come away with.
the Monster Mash challenge...lol

a sketch challenge

a scraplift challenge

the Candy Corn challenge

and a spooky card using some new CTMH stamps and embossing power...oooo....fun! LOL


We're off to get some pizza..mmm! I'm seriously craving some today! Hope the rest of your Sunday is spectacular!

Earth Love!

Cosmo Cricket Earth Love that is! This was one fabulous paper line that actually surprised me. I really wasn't all that wowed by it when it first debuted, but of course like most paper it won me over...lol Here are the other DT creations made with this month's BPM solo kit.
A layout for the 15 Minutes or Less article


This one is using the Becky Fleck sketch of the month


And this one is a just because layout. I was proud that I actually scrapped older pictures this month. You can't really tell in the photo, but I applied Shimmerz paints on both the clouds, the sun and the the thickers which I first painted then added the Shimmerz.


And finally I redid this little CTMH frame that I had received as a hostess gift.


Now I need to get my butt in gear and get some Halloween stuff done and some packing for a crop I am going to this weekend...woohoo!

It's that time again!

Time for you to see the October kits at Back Porch Memories, that is The Solo features Cosmo Cricket Earth Love....cuuuute paper for sure!


Then the Medley features Cosmo Cricket The Boyfriend, Bo Bunny Delilah, and LYB All Fall -- MAGNIFICENT papers!

Oh, and these stamps!! PURE cuteness!


Here is my early layout using the Solo kit this month. It was perfect for a picture of my little nephew. I used a sketch by Jana Eubank as a starting point -- love her sketches!


I've managed to scrap just a couple things this past month. One layout is of my niece's birthday and I used up some scraps from a former BPM kit. The other layout, using up more scraps from a former BPM kit, is one I did for an online crop and then didn't get a chance to participate in it after my camping weekend. You had to use paint to alter a photo or the paper. I opted to do both.



That's about it for now. I'm off to mail my beloved 55-250mm lens in for repair. It no longer focuses and is still under warranty, so I'm praying it is covered. Last week my other favorite lens, 50mm 1.8, dropped out of my camera bag and busted. I only paid $90 for it and it's going to cost me a minimum of $45 to get it repaired. I'm thinking I might just look for a used one. I've seen a few on Craigslist running $70-80. We'll see
Have a great day, ya'll!

Camping fun!

This past weekend we headed to our favorite camping KOA in Monroe. Each year we go to enjoy the Halloween fun and to inhale the smell of campfires...ahhh! Well, of course just like last year, some one got sick from all the fresh air...lol Actually it was two of us -- Marisa and I. Marisa got the cold and I got a sore throat that I'm afraid might be strep, but not 100% sure so I'm going to get it checked out tomorrow. I'm going to share some photos of our spooky weekend. It just comes and goes so fast, so thank goodness for pictures or I might not remember it!

Our tent...as I told my SIL, she cast us out of the village...lol


Gabby and Marisa decorating their pumpkins.

Collin loved riding this rental bike as he still hasn't mastered riding a two-wheeler yet :(

These were some of the pumpkins decorated for the contest.


Okay...I never laughed harder when I saw my brother dressed up in his costume. Total Austin Powers! Groovy, baby!

And here are most of us dressed up in our costumes. This is the first year I dressed up...lol

I just loved Marisa's costume!

A picture of the beautiful scenery!


I'm definitely going to be printing up these pictures and scrapping them soon!

BPM September Kits

This month I got the pleasure of creating the member layouts derived from sketches I design each month. While I can't show you all the layouts here, I can give you a bit of a peek from a few of them!




Make sure to check out this month's kits and get yourself one -- they are AWESOME!
Also be sure to pop in the DT gallery to see all the inspiring layouts created by my fellow DT members :D

A couple to share

I've been working on layouts here and there. It sure does take me forever to finish one anymore. When the kiddos get back in school next week, I'm hoping I get more time. We'll see as all the homework and after-school activities will be back..eek!

Both of these layouts were created with Creative Scrappers sketches. I just love their sketches to help me jump start layouts.
On this layout, I actually created that cute bingo card via PSE 5.0


And this one is of Marisa and her little cousin on their first visit with one another. She just adores Gavin!


That's it for now. I'm anxiously awaiting both of September's BPM kits which are utterly gorgeous! I get the honor of doing the member layouts for the month, so I get to work with both..woo hoo!

In the nick of time!!

Yes, ma'am! I wanted to do this MME blog challenge before the 20th and then today I realize it's the 20th...YIKES! So here I am last minute printing pictures, throwing this layout together, and then taking a picture of it in the wrong lighting! Why do I do this...LOL Oh, well, I'm just happy I finished this layout of Travis and his new journey in to cross country racing. He's loving it and we're so proud of him :D


Now to get back to my scrap room and clean the horrific mess I made...lol Have a great night :D

Summertime banner

I had forgotten to post this banner! I was so proud of myself for buying the banner kit from A Kiss On the Chic and ACTUALLY completing the project...rare thing for me, but I'm trying to change that. It looks cute on my mantle :D


Off to finish up some cleaning and then hoping to scrap!

Baby love!

Yep, I love this little man! He's such a good little baby and he's starting to get to that really cute stage where he goos and gahs at ya...so sweet! These pictures were staring at me, so I just had to get to scrapping them. My sister is going to have a full book before you know it. I used Melissa Frances Hush a' Bye -- pretty baby paper for sure!


For this layout, I used sketch #63 from Creative Scrappers.


One of these days I'm going to find just the perfect spot for taking pictures...ya, one of these days!

BPM August reveal

The time has come for us gals to upload our DT creations for this month. I actually finished up early which is a very rare thing for me...lol Seriously! Usually procrastination fuels my creativity, but not this time. Kind of odd really. Anywho, let's get on to debuting the Solo kit with my layouts and cards.

Here's my favorite because it makes me smile every time I think of my friends coming all the way from Oklahoma to celebrate my birthday with me. Words can't begin to describe the fun I had!


I traced a Technique Tuesday chipboard template to get the outline of this layout. The circle is actually a piece of cardboard I had gotten in another kit a while back.


This one is self-explanatory...lol Collin will beg you to death until you finally give in out of frustration. Well, actually, he begged my brother over and over, but we knew they were going to go fishing eventually. He just didn't understand the concept of time that fishing had to be done later in the evening after the heat of the day has gone. Collin actually caught a "bullhead" catfish as he describes it, but I wasn't around to get a photo and my brother forgot...big bummer!


And here are a couple of cards. This one uses July's Back Porch Memories stamp set. I loved the cupcakes!

This one uses up some of those cute feltie things that come in the Solo kit.


Make sure to check out the other girls' creations in the DT Gallery.