A Little Time

Head over heels, smitten

2012-02-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

When I found this little gem in Kat's backpack, I knew I would be keeping it for use on a layout later. I had to hide it because when she first saw that I was keeping it, she was embarrassed.

Ok, so look quick and don't say anything to her. She'll be so embarrassed....

All paper is Lily Bee. There are a couple accents from other companies. It's mostly from my "pink box".

The index card pulls out and has journaling.

The heart was cut on my Cricut using the Victorian Romance cart from Memory Miser.

Blog hop winner and a new layout

2012-02-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!! I have the winner of the Snow Day cart from the blog hop. Thank you everyone for stopping by and leaving a nice comment. It just makes my day when I ready them. Thank you!!

Anyway, chosen by random....Elisa Bertram. Congratulations!! Please email me your address and I'll get that cart out to you right away.

Thank you again to Memory Miser for hosting me and allowing me to give away this awesome prize!

My friend, Linda, sent me some of the new Echo Park to play with. I finally got a chance to play with it last night. This is what I came up with:

Also, be sure to check out the latest Ready, Set, Create. I have several projects in this issue. Thanks again!

Grandma Loves You & Blog Hop

2012-01-30T08:00:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone,

This is the first time I've been able to participate in the BBTB2 challenge this year!

It's a Valentine for Blake:

papers are K&Co and Glitz. Die cut and alpha stickers are Jillibean Soup.

Please leave a comment for the chance to win the Snow Day cartridge provided by Memory Miser. I would really appreciate it if you would sign up to be a follower of my blog, too. I know I haven't written much this year, but I plan on posting a lot more.

Here's a layout I made with the Snow Day cart:

For the next person on the blog hop, please visit the fabulous Shelly.

Thank you for visiting!!

Layouts and stuff

2012-01-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's 7:00 PM and I can't believe I'm still awake. I'm never up this late. :P

The month of December is over, so I thought I'd post the projects I made for Ready, Set Create:

BasicGrey

Digi stamp from A Day for Daisies

Graphic 45

Under the Num Num Tree

Wild Rose Studios

Thanks for visiting!

Kat's photo skillz

2012-01-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Katrina taking the photo with my camera:

and here is her picture. SOC. Not bad, for 8 years old, huh? My settings, but her composition.

I knew she had photo skillz back when she took the picture of Zoe on the pillows.

"Look, ma! Zoe's playing with the pillows!" She was only 4 when she took this gem:

Then she took this one of my Uncle. I like it.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

I am relieved that this is the last day of 2011. It has been the worst year ever. I won't recap it for you, you'll just have to trust me.

I've decided to step down from BBTB2. Here is what I wrote:

I want to thank you so very much for sticking with me for the last two years. I have made a difficult decision to step down from being in charge of Bitten by the Bug 2. My grandson was recently born in late October and I will be his full time caregiver while my daughter goes back to work. I will have little time to do much of anything except play with Blake all day. :)

I'll still be here and will do the occasional challenge.

So, effective 2012 Donna and Carole are to take over. Yay! They're going to keep it going and I know it's going to be better than ever.

Thank you again for all your support.

I will still be doing the occasional challenge, I just won't be in charge anymore.

I bolded that last part because I think some people think I'm leaving-leaving. I'm not.

Also, spammers BACK OFF!! Geez!! I know I haven't updated my blog in a month. The spammers are trying to take over. I have to delete numerous comments each morning.

I'm here. I was just really busy so please stop spamming my blog. This is still an active blog. I'm not going to just stop after 6 years (or however long it's been).

Ok, that's it for now. I'll be back soon. I promise.

Here's a little sneak peek from RSC

2011-12-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peek at a layout for Ready, Set, Create using product from Under the Num Num Tree.

The new issue is out today.

This is HUGE

2011-11-21T08:00:00.003-07:00

Good Morning! Design Team Sister, Melissa, asked us to use the mouse cut from the Meow cartridge.

This is what I came up with:

The stamp is from My Pink Stamper and the elephant is from Animal Kingdom.

Hippo Birdie Two Ewes

2011-11-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

I think that is my favorite pun from My Pink Stamper's stamp sets.

Robyn sent me some more stamps to play with and I was excited to oblige. She sent me two sets: Lunchbox Thoughts and That's Puny-licious.

Here's what I've done so far:

I have another card made from this set but you can't see it until Monday. It's for Bitten by the Bug 2. The hippo and bird are from Create a Critter and the Ewes are from Birthday Bash.

These are from Lunchbox Thoughts. I just loved the idea of having stamps to make cards to sneak in your child's lunchbox. These are little cards, around 3x3.

I put a little Glossy Accents on the pieces because you know, pepperoni is greasy. Both of these cuts are from Locker Talk.

I plan on making more cards with these stamps. I'll keep you posted. ;) Thanks for visiting.

Hambly

2011-11-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, well. I applied for the Hambly Design Team. Didn't make it, but I'll keep chugging along here. They asked for an unseen project. Here is what I sent them:

Hambly, owl stamp is Technique Tuesday, alpha chipboard is Cosmo Cricket, a tiny touch of Lily Bee and the wings are old Fancy Pants. The heart is a negative space from a Cricut cut. Spray paint for the blue splatters.

Thanks for looking and thanks for your sweet comments.

Joy

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! This week at Bitten by the Bug 2, Mona asked us to use the "Joy" cut from the Winter Woodland cart. Here is my take on it:

I added a little jingle bell and the snowman is a chipboard embellishment from BasicGrey.

Thanks for looking. :D

Rawr

2011-11-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

This was a card I originally made for Ready, Set, Create but they ended up not needing it. I was really nervous about coloring in the tiger but I think it turned out ok. That is the 2nd time I had to color him. The first time he ended up a little too red.

Stamps are Mark's Finest Papers.
Copics to color

Fixed!

2011-11-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! My very good friend, Pat, fixed my photo of Ashley. Look at it now!!

No more toilet, no more bag. It's absolutely perfect!!!! Thank you so much, Pat!

Laugh with me

2011-11-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

I've been taking photos for a LONG time. I was a 11 when I got my first camera. I know you're supposed to look at the background before you snap the picture. I know this.

However, yesterday I was so worried about ISO, aperture, composition, etc that I didn't follow the number one rule....look at your background.

*sigh* It's a beautiful SOOC picture of mother and son with a couple of exceptions. There is a blue bag or something over her right shoulder that is distracting me but not as much as the image of the toilet over her left arm.

At first, I was sooo mad at myself. I was almost in tears. However, having slept on it now, I think it's kinda funny.

So, let's laugh, learn and go back to the basics. Ashley, Blake and I will try again on Tuesday.

Hello baby boy

2011-11-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

Since this started out as a scrapbooking blog, I thought I better add a layout every once in awhile. I've been bombarding you with just pictures lately.

I have been scrapbooking but I just haven't been able to post anything yet. I'm making projects for Ready, Set, Create!

I did get this done the other day...

It's my first layout of my first grandchild, Blake. I love Lily Bee and I thought the new Memorandum collection would be perfect.

Thank you always for your sweet comments.

They meet....

2011-10-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Like I said just a few hours ago...it's been the longest day EVER!!

But at 3:30 Kat, Trent and Blake finally got to meet each other:

Kat wanted to go first....

There was no containing her excitement. Gimme, gimme, gimme!!

...and all was good with the world.

But then it was Trent's turn and Kat got a little antsy...

Katrina gave Trent 10 seconds; she wanted to hold him again.

Who could blame her? I wanted to hold him, too. I was tired of taking pictures.

He woke up and started to cry. Katrina seemed confused,

but like a good Aunt, she soon realized that if she talked softly to him and stroked his head, she could calm him down a little.

and on top of all of this excitement, my parents got a new puppy. They're thinking of the name "Wally".

It's been quite the long day. A good day.

Blake is here!

2011-10-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

My first grand baby was born yesterday at 2:11 PM. I took over 300 pictures, but here are just a couple for starters. I want to watermark them before I put them up on my blog. Let me introduce you to Blake Warren:

I guess I could have made that watermark a little bigger. Oh, well.

He weighs in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces and I think he is 19.5 inches long. He is a natural nurser....he took right to it. That makes Katrina one proud aunt and sister (of Ashley). Kat is a bit, ummmm....obsessed, I guess with breast feeding. Let's just say that I breast fed her for way too long. I had to forcefully wean her because there was no way on Earth that kid was going to give it up on her own.

I was so worried about the pictures. I could not find my gray card so out of desperation, I decided to take a piece of gray cardstock from my stash (I honestly think the kids probably hid it from me because they think it's stupid). It actually worked out perfectly! Different lights in the room kept going off and on so I probably had to customize the white balance five or so times. While Ashley had her knees up and was pushing, I set the gray card right there in front of her leg. I had to make sure the shots of her pushing came out correctly! You would have done the same thing. Admit it. Lucky for me, the nurse knew what I was doing and kind of laughed.

I had spent the morning taking practice shots and playing with the ISO, etc. When the time did come for Ashley to start pushing, the batteries on my external flash died. I couldn't believe it!! I had to quickly switch lenses and try to find correct settings. It's not an easy task when you're nervous as heck and it's not like you can say, "hang on, Ashley! I have to take some test shots first." So, the pictures of Blake in the doctor's hands are nothing but big blurs. However, the color is nice. I had no intention of taking pictures of Ashley below the waist but I really, really wanted those first three to four seconds of life.

This morning I changed the batteries in my flash. One of them was actually leaking! I had just pulled those batteries out of the fridge yesterday. I'm ready now for more pictures. You will be bombarded with pictures. Trust me.

This has got to be the longest day in history. The kids haven't met little Baby Blake and they can't wait. I can't wait for them to meet him, too. The hospital has strict rules about allowing kids under 16 to visit so all I've heard for almost 24 hours is, "When are we going to see Blake?"

In other news, my sweet friend, Carole, made this darling wall hanging for Kat for her birthday. Kat LOVES it and was so excited when she saw it. She says she is going to hang it on her door knob.

Thank you so very much, Carole!!

Thank you everyone for all of your sweet comments and for all the Congrats!!

If the broom fits...Part II

2011-10-24T08:00:00.002-07:00

Good morning! This week at Bitten by the Bug 2, Susan asked us to use the witch cut from the Happy Hauntings cart.

This is what I came up with:

I just love that sentiment from My Pink Stamper's Spook-alicious set. I can't help but giggle every time I read it.

The kitty is from Happy Hauntings, too. The fence and random star are Martha Stewart's. They're both two of my most used punches.

Grandma's Bears

2011-10-22T06:56:00.001-07:00

Almost 8 years ago, my grandmother passed away. She collected Beanie Babies and had asked that when she passed, the Beanie Babies go to Ashley (my oldest). When my grandfather died a couple years ago, the Beanies were then given to Ashley. She was 22 at the time, and didn't really have room for hundreds of Beanie Babies. My grandmother had every. single. Beanie Baby. ever. made. Maybe there were thousands. It kind of felt like it. Ashley picked several favorites and agreed to donate the rest.

A LOT of them came to Katrina who fell in love with every single one. Trenton took a lot of the dragon, patriotic themed and dinosaur ones. Cousins in other states picked some out before they even made it back to Tucson. We gave some of the birthday bears to friends on their birthday.

I still struggled with the hundreds we had left. I knew we couldn't love them all equally but I didn't want to donate them to Goodwill where they would sit in a box for months unloved and not played with (this is where I thought I had watched Toy Story too many times). I thought about donating them to a hospital but was unsure if they would be safe to donate them there since they were in my "house of dogs and cats".

This is when it hit me. I'll donate them to the kids' school. They would be perfect as a prize for the annual school carnival. The kids and I would "know" who they were going to and knew that the child that chose the bear chose it because they loved it and wanted it.

So, the kids and I dug through the Beanies. We decided the bears were the easiest for us to give away. The puppies, kitties and bunnies and the other cute animals were too difficult for Katrina to give away. Let's just say she had a small anxiety attack. At 5 years old.

These are the Beanies we decided to donate to the school. The kids and I spent hours choosing, holding and wishing happy new home thoughts to each one.

We donated these in April 2010. A couple school carnivals passed but there were no Beanie Babies. I was a little concerned so I asked about them a few days ago.

Last night was the carnival. I almost didn't go because my head hurt so badly. I'm glad I did go, though. When I saw this, I was so excited! The spirit of my grandmother was at that carnival and I knew it!

They were going to use the Beanie Babies this year!

As some of the kids were winning the bears, I asked if I could take their pictures.

I have to confess that there was one Beanie Baby I took back. There was no way it was a coincidence that this Beanie Baby was right next to me:

It's an "It's a Boy" Beanie Baby. In April 2010 when I donated these, this bear would have been just like the others; just "another bear". However, Ashley is due with a baby boy any day now. I knew we did right thing by donating the bears to the school. The kids were thrilled and my kids were happy to see that their Great Grandma's bears were going to good, loving homes and now I know because of the It's a Boy bear, that my grandmother approved also.

Have a great day!

Chocolate Basket

2011-10-20T14:26:00.001-07:00

Each year at the kids' school, the PTO auctions off baskets. There are so many great themes like Baby, Family Fun Night, Christmas Decorating, etc. My favorite is the Chocolate themed basket which happens to be what was assigned to the kids.

I told Erik that I was going to purchase the limited edition Halloween chocolate Pop-Tarts for the basket. He sort of made fun of me. I thought it was a swell idea and bought a box anyway. I told everyone to stay out of the chocolate Pop-Tarts.

Well, guess who opened the box of Pop-Tarts and helped himself to one? You're right. It's was Erik. It was at that point that I knew that:

a) my suspicions of whether or not Erik ever listened to me was confirmed, and
b) the idea to buy limited edition Halloween Pop-Tars was not just a swell idea but a GREAT one.

I made the trek back to Walmart to buy another box all while chuckling to myself about the situation.

Since Pop-Tarts are kind of cheap-o (even if they are soooo goood), I wanted to contribute another thing to the basket. Both kids had the same basket so I felt like I should contribute two things. The second thing I added were some homemade chocolate themed note cards.

I used the Sweet Treats cart and My Pink Stamper's Sweetest Cupcakes stamp set. I made two of each design so there is a set of 6 cards for the basket. I put them each in a little cellophane envelope and tied it up with a ribbon.

Here they are:

Thanks for looking. :D

If the broom fits, ride it!

2011-10-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I got up early before the sunrise today to work on some cards. Robyn at My Pink Stamper will be hosting BBTB2 in the next couple months. She sent me some stamps to give away and gave a set to me to play with. I was so excited!!

All the cuts are from the October 31 cart.

All the stamps are from My Pink Stamper Spook-alicious set.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Katrina Couture, Part II

2011-10-12T12:27:00.002-07:00

Katrina has always had her own sense of style. Sometimes it's a little odd and surprises me, but for the most part, I've gotten used to it. I learned a long time ago that this was not a battle I was going to fight with her (unless, of course, it involved fishnet).

Whether she's using my good cardstock to make tails, or wearing a pink fluffy skirt with angel wings it's always her idea. Sometimes fashion ideas come to her in ways I've never thought of. For example, this outfit works because "bears eat horses". Well, of course! Why didn't I think of that?

(this is an old layout)

We found, well I should say, she found this dress at Savers this week. My first instinct was to say, "no" just because it looked old and it looked like "too much" polyester. After a "PLEASE mom," I said, "why not". It was only $2.00 anyway.

Now that it's washed and on her, I think she did a good job. I LOVE houndstooth and I think it looks a bit vintage. She loves it and she's already received a few compliments from people in the stores we ran errands in. The girl at the bagel shop even commented that Lady Gaga is all about houndstooth these days. That comment took Katrina over the moon.

She was so excited that she even let me do some "glamor shots".

Now, for those of you thinking "Why doesn't Heather have many pictures of her son?" here is your answer. Trent was given the option of having his picture taken, too. Just as I did his sister, I suggested he sit at the end of the couch with his head towards the window.

This is what I got.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

Agnes asked us to use the Vulture cut from Life's a Party. Can you believe I don't have that cart!!?? If we didn't have the cart, we could use a scary bird from another cart. I found the crow on October 31 and thought it was perfect.

I also dug out the Nesties for the oval and then remembered why I don't use them frequently. I can never get them to emboss properly. Ugh! The dies slip around and I end up with crooked embossing.

Stamp is Inkadinkado
Punch and pumpkin are Martha Stewart
Paper is Recollections

Come over and check out what the other designers did at Bitten by the Bug 2!

Katrina Logic

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Kat and I headed out to Michael's to use the 50% off coupon. I had no idea what I wanted as it seemed that EVERYTHING I was interested in was already marked down in the ad.

Anyway, we pull into the Michael's parking lot and Kat says, "Mom, what is Michael's? It's not a store. It has a lot of paper." Then she looks around at the other stores in the shopping center and claims,

"Hancock Fabrics...no paper, that's a store."
"Money store (this is what she calls Dollar store")...no paper, that's a store."

I said, "What do you mean, Kat? Of course it's a store. Why wouldn't it be a store?"

and then it hit me.....

I said, "I have a lot of paper, don't I?"

Her eyes got really big and she says, "YES!! That's what I mean. You have a lot of paper but you're NOT a store!"

So, in Katrina Logic if a person/company has and/or sells a HUGE stash of paper, they are in no way shape or a form a store. I admit I do have a lot of paper, but I never thought it would it would warp the thinking of my 7 year old.

If she starts saying the same thing about M&M's then I think we'll have a problem.

Wheelbarrow Challenge

2011-09-26T08:00:00.005-07:00

Design Team sister, Donna, chose the wheelbarrow for this week's BBTB2 challenge. I haven't used this cart in ages! When I pulled out the book, I was shocked at how simple the cuts were. I forgot that the Cricut cuts used to be sooooo simple. All of them are so very detailed nowadays.

Anyway, this is what I came up with:

What? Were you expecting just flowers? It is almost Halloween, ya know?

Recollections paper, the stamp is Tim Holtz and the little epoxy greeting is BasicGrey

Willy Man Benches

2011-09-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

Oh another day. This is a picture from my Project 365. We found these benches at a yard sale. The lady that was selling them said that her dog (now deceased) used them when his hips were bad. He liked to look over the wall and with the little benches, he could. Her friend that put them in the back of my car, made a comment that he couldn't believe she was giving them up. She made several comments about her dog and how he liked kids so she gave us a great price on these. We'll use them to roast marshmallows outside next to our "fire pit". Later, I took this picture and printed it off and took it back to the lady at the yard sale so she would know her "Willy-Man" benches were very much appreciated. She said she was going to put this picture on her fridge.

Jillibean Soup Sweet & Sour
Technique Tuesday

when are we going back to Legoland?

2011-09-17T10:06:00.001-07:00

Trent makes it clear that he is unimpressed with the gardens at Balboa Park.

LilyBee papers and alpha stickers.

Flowers from my "red box".

Have a great weekend!!

Enjoy Life

2011-09-16T13:40:00.003-07:00

I found this picture in a stack of others. It's Trent and his cousins the week before Kat was born. They look like they're having so much fun playing in the fountain.

I used the new Crate paper for this.

Buttons are OA.

A very merry Christmas

2011-09-15T14:19:00.002-07:00

I wanted to use that picture for our Christmas cards last year but no one else thought it was a good idea.

BasicGrey Nordic Holiday

Cheer

2011-09-14T07:17:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year again where the kids start looking for Halloween costumes and I usually say "NO!" to their first 2-3 choices. There will be no headless people holding their own head, no zombies with a battery operated pumps to swoosh fake blood through plastic tubes and there will be no mini skirts and fish nets.

Yes, I had to say "NO!" to fishnets this year.

Katrina wants this costume:

I know I have some crooked lines when it comes to what I'll let her do. I'll let her dye her hair (with semi permanent), maybe let her wear a little light blue eyeshadow sometimes and even let her ride her bike in high heels, but I don't like this fishnet stuff.

She wants to be a cheerleader. She wants, what she refers to now, as the "fishy cheerleader costume". I have yet to find a cheerleader costume that we both like that is in her size. The first one she picked out was a USA cheerleader costume but it only came in toddler sizes.

I'm not sure what Trent wants to be. He keeps pointing at zombies. I wish Katrina wanted to be a zombie. It would be so much easier.

Drippy Heart

2011-09-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have another creation for BBTB2. It was my turn this week and I asked the designers to use the Flying, Dripping Heart from the Rock Princess cart.

I had every intention of putting it on a card but when Kat saw it, she asked if I could put it on a barrette for her hair. I thought it was a great idea. I hot glued a little black tulle down first and then added the Heart. She loves it and plans on wearing it to school tomorrow.

Please be sure to check out all the other fabulous creations by the design team. Also, if you're not a follower of my blog, please add me! Thank you for your sweet comments.

P.S. Erik got a job!! WOOHOO!!

Superstar Dad

2011-09-02T07:17:00.001-07:00

Having Erik home for the last seven weeks has been difficult BUT there have also been some nice things, too. The other day, I came out of the scrapbook room and found him helping the kids with their homework. Of course, this pictures looks posed because it is. Everyone wants to run to opposite corners when they see me with the camera. I asked them to please get back into position so I could take a picture of the three of them. It was originally a nice scene, but after being forced back into position I get this:

Erik is exaggerating his gestures and looks more like he's threatening them with something serious.

Trent has his arms crossed and is looking at me like "hurry the hell up" and Kat is trying hard not to laugh.

Erik was offered a job but it's in Phoenix. We still haven't decided what we're going to do. Thankfully, the company has given us a few days to think about the offer.

I thought I had a sign from God that Erik should NOT take the Phoenix job.

I'm always the first one up and out of bed. Upon entering the dining room, I smelled something foul. I spent a few minutes looking around for the smell. I found nothing. 20 minutes later, I found it. One of the dogs had pooped on the floor. I couldn't pick it up. Just looking at it from 10 feet away made me gag and cough. I don't know what it is about dog poop, but I just can't do it. And, this wasn't just a little bit of dog poop, it was the size of a newborn child.

As I screamed in terror for Erik (who was still asleep) for assistance, I knew that this was the sign from God that I was looking for. He will NOT be able to take the Phoenix job because he would be gone during the week and come back on weekends. If the dogs poop overnight while he's gone, I will have to somehow pick it up.

That was a pretty clear sign for me. Erik stays in town, gets a job in town, and continues to pick up piles of poop that are the same size as newborn babies. Erik didn't quite see the sign as clearly as I did.

Here's a layout I made yesterday. It's all Sass border strips.

I can't shop, but YOU can!

2011-08-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

A Million Little Things is re-structuring. I can't shop until Erik gets a job, so it's up to you....

Effective immediately and until further notice save 50% on every order in the store!! Please remember everything is marked down at least 10% already, so you will be saving at least 60% off wholesale prices and even more on discounted clearance and special items! Enter the code MUSTGO at checkout to receive the 50% off your order.

BasicGrey

2011-08-27T10:13:00.002-07:00

Ever since I was a little kid and BasicGrey was first released, I have dreamt of working with them.

Wait, that's not completely correct...I wasn't a little kid when they first released but I felt like one and have ever since. With each new release, I get giddy with excitement like a kid on Christmas morning. My mind is filled with designs and sketches and ideas and what pictures I'll use and....well, you get the idea. I have purchased every single line they've ever put out and all the accessories I could afford. I guess you could say that I have a BasicGrey museum.

Having a museum doesn't mean that I don't use the products. I just buy extra so I always have some on hand. Here is some of the stuff I've done with BasicGrey. (click on "BasicGrey")

So, this brings me to the point of this post...BasicGrey is having a Design Team call. This would be my dream job. If YOU think I would be a good candidate for the team, would you please, oh please, take the time to leave a comment saying that on their blog...right here. Don't forget my full name, please. It's Heather Binnie.

~~BasicGrey is even giving away a prize to a random person that leaves a comment on their blog. So, what have you got to lose?~~ Oh crud, that part of the contest is over.

I've never taken this approach when applying for a team (it screams of desperation to me). But then again, I've never wanted to be on a team as much as I want to be on BasicGrey's. Regular ol' submitting hasn't worked for me very well before. I’m thinking there will be approximately 4.5 million people applying for this position. I'm hoping my dear readers and friends might help me get just a little bit of BasicGrey's attention.

Thank you so much for your time. :D

Oh, and if you're wondering why I have a picture of kitten Sookie it's just to get my readers' attention from Facebook and other blogs. How can you not click on a cute kitten?

Thank you again. :)

Ashley and Garrett's Wedding announcement pics

2011-08-21T15:37:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the two. They're going to use these for their announcements.

Surprise

2011-08-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

It seems like it's been forever since I've completed a layout or anything paper/glue related.

I've had this on my desk for a couple weeks and decided I just needed to commit and glue it down.

This morning the tag that is behind Trent's picture was sitting on the floor in his room. I think it's from one of his new shorts. I love to recycle. ;)

I also used some old Scenic Route and Scribble Scrabble. They're so old, I can't even link them up.

Still no job for Erik. It's just been so hard for us. I've just applied at Starbucks.

Thanks for your comments.

Ashley is married

2011-08-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

Ashley and Garrett

Can you just pretend to look like you like your sister?

2011-08-10T10:22:00.001-07:00

First day of school today. Trent didn't want to pose with his sister.

These are all straight out of the camera. I'm uploading these on the laptop which has limited editing ability

Hello Mr. T

2011-07-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

I had a bunch of scraps left from my ice cream cone card and I wanted to use them up before they got lost in a pile. I came up with this:

All the papers are My Minds Eye Good Day Sunshine Girl Kit.

I really like the colors in this line.

Erik is still out of work. The days are long and boring. I know I should be taking advantage of the extra hands and clean out drawers, closets and the garage, but I just can't seem to move.

The kids, well, Kat keeps asking for everything and anything. She wants me to download songs, she wants the ICarly something or other, she wants to go to Golf n Stuff, etc. etc. etc. I told her to start making a list of things she wants that we can consider after "daddy gets his new job". I think I'm going to count how many times I say that today. LOL!

I know it won't be much longer until he gets a job but I still can't help worrying.

Pocket Change

2011-07-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have my blog showcased at Be @ Home! Scroll down a little bit...

There are some other great blogs linked there. Be sure to check it out!!

Thanks again! :D

Lucky Day

2011-07-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week at Bitten by the Bug 2, the talented Maria asked us to use the ice cream cone from the Sweet Treats cart. I used the shaped card cut and came up with this:

I dug out an embossing folder for the cone and all the paper is MME Good Day Sunshine Girl Kit.
The little tin pin is from October Afternoon.

There is also a blog hop going on. Be sure to play along for your chance to win something fun. I don't have anything this month for the hop.

Erik is still jobless. He has been for a week now. If you get a chance, please send positive job finding thoughts our way.

and if you're looking for card making, stamping, scrappy supplies, please click on one of my links that goes to 2Peas. They give me a wee little bit for your purchase. Thank you. :)

Thanks for looking and for your nice comments. Have a great day!

Who gets Karin?

2011-07-13T14:23:00.007-07:00

Last week (I can't believe it's been a week already) I posted my Karin card and offered to give it away. Now, if I can find it again on my messy desk, the randomly chosen winner is Cathy from Cathyplus5.

I'll send you an email, Cathy, to get your address. Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

Here are some layouts I've been working on. I'm entering these into the BasicGrey contest at 2 Peas.

I was just going to do one layout but once I started, I couldn't stop. It's just like ice cream or M & M's or avocados...what ever item I happen to be craving at the time.

This is just about all BasicGrey Out of Print.

There is a little teeny, tiny green and blue polka dot strip that is actually Fancy Pants.
Shhhh...don't tell.
That cute bike stamp is Hero Arts Joy Ride.

This is
BasicGrey Oxford.

I really hope I win this contest because I am now out of most of my Oxford collection alpha stickers.

The photo is from my Picture a Day project I've been working on all year. How does he use a pencil that is so tiny? and how much work does he really get done with that tiny pencil?? Hmmmm???

I will leave you with this picture....

Katrina is finally off her training wheels. After I snapped this picture and complimented her on her new skills, she just smiled and said, "I was born for this moment! I love riding my bike!"

Again, thanks for visiting and for your nice comments.

Creepy like Donna

2011-07-06T18:32:00.004-07:00

The name the artist gave the stamp is "Karin". This is a stamp from Stampotique.com.

I'm giving away this card. If you like it, leave me a comment, sign up to be a follower and I'll pick a random winner in a week and send it to you. It's blank inside. You can write whatever your little heart desires on the inside.

Donna inspired me. I love her creepy cards. :D

All patterned paper is BasicGrey Out of Print.

I take all my photos of cards on the dining room table. Today it was covered in army dudes. I just worked around it.

Thanks for your nice comments. :D

ooooo....new Tim Holtz

2011-07-05T15:34:00.006-07:00

Holy moly...check out all the new Tim Holtz stamps.

How would anyone decide which ones they want?

I like this one. I'd want to stamp it on a photo.This little birdie is cute, too.
No, wait...this is my favorite. The splattered butterfly.

Which one do you like?

starfish

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, check it out. I made two layouts this week. Woah!

The first one is for the Bitten by the Bug 2 challenge. It was my turn again this week and I asked the ab-fab designers to use the starfish cut from the Life is a Beach cart.

All the papers and even the chipboard swirl is from Fancy Pants.

Fancy Pants Beach Bum

BasicGrey Oxford Writer's Block

Oxford Chip Stickers

Oxford Glazed Brads

Oxford Collection

I used my Cricut to cut the hearts.

Lost in translation

2011-06-30T07:31:00.003-07:00

Kat, do not let the cat eat right out of the can. You need to put it in the bowl.

Watermelon card

2011-06-27T08:00:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone. It's project time for the Bitten by the Bug 2. Due to health issues and other stresses, I haven't participated in awhile.

It was my turn to pick a challenge and I decided to go old school. I asked the designers to use the watermelon cut from the Stretch Your Imagination cart.

I chose just the silhouette cut. It looked a lot fancier in my head....

I used BasicGrey June Bug and
Technique Tuesday stamps

They're hopping over there at BBTB2, so if you're in the mood to get some goodies you may want to head back over there and start the list. I would be participating, but there is something about going to the post office in the hot summer with two kids that can't sit still that drives me bonkers. When school is back in session, I'll think about doing some more hops.

Thanks for your comments.

A tip from Speak the cat

2011-06-22T14:36:00.003-07:00

Stop complaining!

If you put one of your paws on the ground like this, it's an instant 2.3 pound weight loss!

Blog hop winner

2011-06-18T14:51:00.004-07:00

I forgot to do this yesterday...

The randomly picked winner of the candy from the My Pink Stamper blog hop is....

Amy E!

Amy, send me your address and I'll send you your prize.

Thanks so much and because I have so many pictures, I'm posting one just for the heck of it....

All Katrina wanted to do was ride on the fairy boat ride at Legoland because she remembered from her last trip (2008) that it was her favorite.

"When are we going to do the fairy ride?"

I guess it just seemed more fun three years ago....

Well, take a look at this...

2011-06-13T13:47:00.004-07:00

2011

2008

2005

all taken at Seaport Village in San Diego.

We're home!

2011-06-12T15:51:00.006-07:00

We're back from a five day vacation to San Diego. We spent a couple days in Legoland and an extra day goofing around. We met up with our neighbors and had a great time. I think I took about 1000 pictures, but this is one of my favorites:

We arrived at the Quality Inn on Wednesday. I asked the kids then if I could take their picture in front of the dumpster and piles of old carpeting. I received an immediate, "NO!" from both of them. I asked them everyday so by Sunday morning, I had worn them down enough that they just gave in and let me take a couple pics. It's a good thing we waited because I think that Coors light can down on the bottom right is a new addition.

I like this picture so much, I'm thinking of making it this years Christmas card.

I'm not sure what the green bar is next to Trent. I've tried a couple different styles of Christmas frames and so far, they've all done that. I'll have to work on cleaning that up but for right now, I have laundry to catch up on.

Summer Says

2011-06-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that I've been asked to be a Guest Designer at My Pink Stamper. I used the set "Sweetest Cupcakes". We had to make something summer themed.

It was a little bit of a challenge with cupcake themed stamps, but I remembered the picture I took of the kids last year. They had been swimming and stopped for a watermelon break. I thought the picture and a few of the stamps captured summer fairly well.

I used Mister Huey's color mists for the stamping on the white paper. I just spray them on my craft mat, tap the stamps in the different colors and stamp away. I like this technique, the colors are always mixed up and the look is soft, not quite as crisp as a regular ink pad.

The font is cut using Cherry Limeade. Once again, I used my Gypsy to get the perfect length. I didn't want the title to be longer than the picture. Instead of changing the height of the cut, I changed the length.

I just love Robyn's stamps. She has so many cute sayings and they're all so perfect to use with your Cricut cuts or just on their own. You can get them here...click here.

Of course, we're doing a Blog Hop, too. I am giving away this:

All you have to do is leave me a comment. I'll choose a random winner in about a week. Make sure I have a way to contact you. If you're not already a follower of my blog, please sign up to be one! You don't have to be a follower to be eligible to win but I'd love it if you did. :)

Afterwards, please visit Maria at her blog for more surprises. Make sure you go back to Robyn's site to make sure you get all the links to all the participants in the hop. Here they are as well:

Robyn

Shelley

Julie-readysetstamp

Angela's Simple Creations

Kassidy

Shauna at Craftee She

Lori

Courtney--Court's Crafts

Cristi

Helen

Raechel

Tracy--Craft Junkie Too

Michelle--Meesh's Pieces

Heather from Bitten By The Bug 2 (Our Special Guest Hopper)

Maria

Thanks so much for visiting and for your comments.

long night

2011-05-31T08:08:00.002-07:00

Trent's friend spent the night last night. This morning, Erik found this note on his computer desk.I guess they were a little too loud for Katrina.

Birthdays

2011-05-30T15:09:00.009-07:00

I was digging through my Peggy Loves Vintage cds and came across this darling image. I had to print it out and use it.

The papers are BasicGrey

and the stickers are, too.

Last Day/First Day

2011-05-25T11:35:00.005-07:00

It's that time again. I have a picture of the kids on the first day of school and the last day of school. Can you tell which is which?

and for you smarties from last year that easily recognized which is which from the wrinkles in Trent's collar....I've ironed them.

Bieber Time

2011-05-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone!

I have a few layouts to share. First up is the project I made for BBTB2. It was my turn again this week and I asked the designers to use the sunglasses from the Forever Young cart.

My first thought was how Kat thought she was so cool with her Justin Bieber watch. LOL!

I just love this new line, Lauderdale, from BasicGrey. You can get it at A Million Little Things.

The sunglasses are a perfect example of why I love my Gypsy. I wanted the sunglasses to be six inches long to match the length of the photo. It's just a guessing game on your Cricut if you don't have a Gypsy. The Cricut will only give you the height of a cut, not the length. So, I pulled up the sunglasses in the Gypsy and changed the length to what I wanted. It automatically figures out the height. It's important to write down the height at this point because you can't use the same height for all the other cuts. In this case, the height was 1.94 inches. Cut the rest of your layers at this height.

Here are some other layouts I've had sitting around....

This is one of those "clean off my desk" layouts. I had lots of scraps sitting around and rather than file them away to use in the future (which I usually forget about), I just threw them together on a layout with some paint and mist.

Here is another layout using BasicGrey's Lauderdale. Love it! Thanks for looking. :D And thanks for your sweet comments. If you're not a follower of my blog, please sign up to be one!

500 Club

2011-05-07T15:32:00.009-07:00

Kat sold 669 boxes of Girl Scout cookies this year. Thank you to all of you that bought some!! She sold 527 boxes last year so we were shocked when we sold so much more this year.

Girls that sell at least 500 boxes get to attend a special party. Here are some pictures I want to share. I've messed around with all of them in Picnik. I have so much fun over there. ;)

So, what to do at the Girl Scout 500 Club party:

First, you have to make sure mom irons on all the patches to your vest.

Get a balloon animal (giraffe)

You have to wait for what seems like hours in the hot, hot, sun for the photographer to arrange all the girls so they fit in his lens. I think he finally realized (after several minutes and up and down the ladder several times) that he was going to have to go for that wider lens.

Splash!! Lots of super fun on the water slides!

Finally get your face painted like a hot pink tiger. You wanted this last year but we ran out of time and it's all you've been talking about. "I want to get my pink tiger face". She thinks she's going to have on her face by the time she goes back to school on Monday. Uh, no.

Jump around in the crazy dalmatian themed jumping castle like you're a wild, rabid, hot pink tiger.

It was a hot, long day but it was lots of fun.

an apple a day

2011-05-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone! It was my turn this week to host the challenge at Bitten By the Bug 2. I chose the apple core from the Preserves cart.

All the patterned papers are Cosmo Cricut.

Thanks for looking and thanks for your nice comments.

Follow up to Mr. T

2011-04-27T19:26:00.004-07:00

I contacted our neighbors with the turkey and asked if we could come and see him. They were so nice and let us come over early this evening.

The turkey (Mr. T) was in their backyard with 4 chicken friends and the dog. Yeah, that's right...a dog. I was amazed that the dog left the chickens and the turkey alone.

Anyway, Mr. T is even MORE GORGEOUS in person. I had no idea that a turkey's head will change colors. In the first picture, see how his the top of his head is all blue and his waddle is a little creamy reddish color? I know, it's a bit out of focus but you can get the idea.

After we had been there for a few minutes, his waddle became bright red, his head even a brighter blue with red dots. He pranced around for us and all us of oooo'd and ahhh'd. He is just beautiful!!

Then, they were so nice to lead the kids into the chicken coop and let them find eggs. We came home with fresh eggs.

It was a great evening for us. Thank you!!

9am

2011-04-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

Our design team sister, Julie, picked the cut for this week's BBTB2 project. She chose the crown from the Home Decor cart.

Here's my version:

It's mostly just cardstock, ink, paint and mist.

The rumor is true

2011-04-23T15:20:00.004-07:00

The kids and Erik went to the annual neighborhood block party last weekend. I couldn't go because my back was misbehaving.

There was talk about turkey. One of the neighbors in the area bought a turkey last year for their Thanksgiving dinner. They couldn't finish it off and instead, it ended up becoming a pet.

We asked another neighbor, one that has chickens, about the turkey. She told us where she thought it was. We walked all over the neighborhood and found it. She said to "look for the colorful fence". Well, we heard gobbling before we even found the fence.

There was this beautiful bird behind the fence posts. I was too shy to go up the entire length of the driveway to see this magnificent creature, so I stood back and used the zoom lens to take pictures instead. The kids and Erik had no problem walking right up there. Isn't he beautiful? He has a bright blue head and I swear he was showing off for us by the way he moved.

We want to go back later when the family is outside and ask about him.

Right now, we're playing with the idea of building a chicken coop and having a few chickens. This way, we know what our chickens are eating and where our eggs would come from.

This was going to be my picture of the day, but I have a different one. I post my pics of the day on Facebook. If you're not friends with me, look me up!! (bucketomonkeysatcomcast.net)I do have some pictures on the top right of my blog here, but it doesn't tell you the story behind each of the pictures.

Have a great Easter!

in bloom

2011-04-22T17:06:00.003-07:00

Here's a picture of the blooming saguaro in my front yard.

All KI Memories. There's some vintage stuff in there. ;)

Tendered

2011-04-21T18:23:00.004-07:00

I have a stack of pre-printed pictures on my desk. I just grab the top one and force myself to work with it.
It's not that it's a bad photo, it's just that I didn't do any editing to it and print it at home. I sometimes get overwhelmed at all the photos I have and can't pick one to edit, crop and print at home. Sometimes it's just easier to use what's there.

Anyway, this is The Girls' Paperie, On Holiday. Thanks for looking and thanks for your sweet comments. :D

Are you sure about that?

2011-04-20T15:59:00.005-07:00

I just love it when I find these little gems in the kids' backpacks. I just don't know what dress she has that is purple and orange. Hmmmm.....

BasicGrey Green at Heart.

Bunk Beds

2011-04-15T18:17:00.002-07:00

When we were cruising, the kids LOVED their bunk beds. I never had to argue with them to go to sleep.Made from mostly Glitz and a touch of K & Co.

When one kid won't cooperate...

2011-04-07T13:30:00.003-07:00

I've been having fun playing with these new Lily Bee collections. Here's another layout I made using the Happily Lost collection.

another picture of the kids from 2008

Smile

2011-04-05T14:18:00.002-07:00

Here's another layout using some new Lily Bee. I'm a new fan of their collections. I just love the patterns and colors.

I just realized I forgot to put a date on this. It's from February 2008. Kat was only 4 in this picture.

Mother

2011-04-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

A card made for Bitten by the Bug 2. Design Team Sister, Lori, asked us to use a cut from the Mother's Day 2010 cart. I don't have that one so I used the newer Mother's Day Bouquet cart released just recently. I love this cart. You can make a ka-zillion different flowers with as many layers as your little heart desires.

The stamps are Technique Tuesday Mama=Love

Thanks for your comments!

Love you bunches

2011-03-29T17:22:00.002-07:00

This cute little bunny is a new cutout from Peggy Loves Vintage.

The cute paper is Jillibean Soup - Dutch Mustard Soup Thanks for your comments.

do you remember...

2011-03-28T12:28:00.003-07:00

Awwww, they used to hug when I asked them to pose for the camera.

KI, K&Co, Crate, MME, DCWV, Kaisercraft

Thanks for looking. :D

Racing Stripes

2011-03-25T16:52:00.001-07:00

Trent is a toe walker. We thought he would eventually outgrow it but he never did. He started physical therapy in May 2009. It helped a lot and we thought we could continue his exercises at home. Well, that didn't work. He recently went back to physical therapy and is working again to get off those toes. In the picture, he's wearing tape on his calves to help him walk normally. The physical therapist called the tape his "racing stripes".

This is new Lily Bee papers. I'm a new fan of theirs. I just love the small patterns. There are Crate chipboard pieces on there as well. Oh, and I see a little Jillibean Soup peaking out from behind the journaling card (which is MME).

This is Ashley from a long, long time ago. Probably about 10 years ago. The problem is that after I scanned the layout, I spilled red wine all over it. *sigh* Now I have to do it again.

This is new Cosmo Cricket Salt Air

This is new BasicGrey Life of the Party. There are a few Fancy Pants rubons as well. I think the pictures are from LegoLand.

Thanks for looking. I'm feeling better these days. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and cards. They really worked!

Friends

2011-03-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

This week, our design sister, Melissa, asked us to use the dachshund cut from the Paisley cart.

I also used Cosmo's new Upcycle line. I really like the colors in it.

Just the Boys

2011-03-19T14:04:00.001-07:00

Here's a layout I made using some new MME. I think I've already scrapped this picture before.

Thanks for looking. :D

Grumble, grumble

2011-03-17T16:49:00.001-07:00

I'm just going to get it all out in one post. 2011 has really stunk so far. It started with the sinus surgery and then my back and hips. I have always had issues with my hips but for some reason, this time it's really bad. Xrays determined that I have sciatica and arthrits. *sigh* It's very, very difficult dealing with chronic pain. It's depressing. It drains me of all my energy. Add in the stress of the Girl Scout cookies and the booths. I cannot keep up with household chores (dinner?? I'm supposed to cook dinner?)and I've had to cut my hours down at work to one 4 hour shift a week. Last Sunday, I couldn't even do that. After two hours I had to go home. My legs were screaming at me.

I've had to cancel my card classes. I can't sit in a chair long enough to design cards and all I can think about is the pain.

Erik has been working 12 hour days. I never see him anymore.

I found out last week that I have a sinus infection 6 weeks after my sinus surgery...

and yesterday, my cat died.

I feel absolutely worthless.

So, there you go. I got it all out and I feel a bit better. So, if I seem a bit cranky, don't take it personally. ;)

I'm working towards a better future, though. I've been going to phsyical therapy twice a week and I've been forcing myself to do a little bit of creating in the evening after the pain killers kick in but before I get too sleepy.

See, my life is not as perfect looking as sometimes the blog displays. If you're having a bad day, tell me about it.

Oh, and here are some layouts that took me several days to complete....

Projects from Emma's Paperie

2011-03-01T17:47:00.005-07:00

Here are all the projects I made as Guest Designer at Emma's Paperie. If you get a chance, stop on by her store. If you're interested in the details (manufacturers) of what I used, click here to got to the blog.

BBTB2 Blog Hop time

2011-02-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome! It's that time of month again...time for the Bitten By The Bug 2 Blog Hop.

Hopefully, you came from Theresa's blog.

Our challenge this week was to use the bird cage from Straight from the Nest. If we didn't have that cart, we could use a bird cage or bird house from another cart. I used a bird house from Cindy Loo.

In addition to the birdhouse, there is a little Peggy Loves Vintage image in there. See the flowers on the tag? Those are from one of her collections.

Please leave a comment and please become a follower of my blog to be eligible to win the prize listed below.

When you've left your comment, please hop on over to Karen's blog for a chance to win more goodies.

Fishing

2011-02-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

Shelly was our host for this week at Bitten By The Bug 2. She chose the boy fishing from page 35. The only time I ever use this cart is when it's for a BBTB2 challenge. I always say to myself, "I need to use this more often". It's a great cart!

BasicGrey
MME
LYB
Hambly
Martha Stewart punch
Pink Paislee alphas

Guest Designer at Emma's Paperie

2011-02-09T10:56:00.001-07:00

I'm just thrilled to be a Guest Designer at Emma's Paperie. Here are a couple of sneak peeks from two of the projects I made:

If you want to see all of the projects, you can go to her blog here.

Thanks so much!

Reading Counts

2011-02-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

October Afternoon Schoolhouse

Are you doing picture a day? I started January and I've been posting them on Facebook. This is my picture from yesterday. I had a follow up appointment with my ENT. I would post them here if I could figure out how to make a little side bar with them. Oh, I know....maybe Flickr would work. I'll think about this some more....

Also, blog hop winner for this time is.....

Tanya

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving comments. I like the nice ones. ;)

Lovey Dovey Honey Bunch

2011-01-31T08:00:00.002-07:00

Good morning! If you're hopping, you probably came from Penny's blog. It's so nice to see you here. :D As you probably know already, Maria, one of our awesome Design Team sisters from Bitten By The Bug 2, asked us to use more than one of the hearts from Love Struck 2010.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I have so many goofy names for the kids and I knew this particular one I call Kat (at times) would be perfect for the heart challenge. heehee

I have a suggestion for you, though. Make sure you have a new blade for this cart. Whew! There are so many intricate cuts that just weren't working with my used blade.

What do you call your kids? I can't be the only one that uses "Stinky Pie Monkey Butt" as a term of endearment, can I? Leave me a comment telling me the pet names you use for your kids. At the end of the week, I'll choose a random winner for the item pictured below. Make sure I can get a hold of you...either make sure you leave me your email address or your comment links back to your blog.

Also, if you're just starting this blog hop, you want to go to Lori's blog next.

Thanks for all your kind comments. Please become a follower of my blog, too!

Armadillo

2011-01-21T08:43:00.004-07:00

Well, I'm really behind getting things uploaded on Blogger.

BBTB2's designer, Krista, chose the armadillo and/or bird from Birthday Bash. This was the first time I have used the cart and I have to say there are some really cute images.

Ignore the fact that I couldn't figure out that piece that goes on the tail. Don't know what the dealio is with that. Some of the other girls figured it out.

Stamps are Technique Tuesday and Sassafras. I colored in the "Happy Birthday" with my Copics. The chicken wire overlay is Hambly.

I also completed another layout. That's 2 for this year. ;) I am on a roll.

This is all made with October Afternoon Campfire

Delight in the Little Things

2011-01-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

Bitten by the Bug 2 is back in business this week! We have lots of inspiration to share with you. Karen asked us to use the Hummingbird from the Lyrical Letters cart. Here's my take on it:

The papers are new K & Co Flora and Fauna.

Thanks for looking. :D

Birthday birds

2011-01-07T14:10:00.001-07:00

Here's a new card made from one of the darling images from Peggy Loves Vintage.

This image is from Vintage Birthday Volume 2

Joys of the Season ornament

2010-12-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

This week at BBTB2, Julia asked us to use the wreath cut from JOTS.

Come check out the other projects.

Hello, Pretty Baby

2010-12-09T18:10:00.001-07:00

I have wanted a stand mixer for at least 20 years. Kohl's was having a dealio for associates that I just couldn't pass up. It ended up being about 75% off the normal price.

Of course, there is Kat on the counter. It's her favorite place to be. She's always supervising, making sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I think she also hopes chocolate chips or something else flies out of the bowl so she can be the first to eat it.

Trent said that the mixer was "making my life easier". Kat said, "MOM! You have to find a new place to work where you don't spend so much money!"

She may have a point, but in the meantime, I'm making cookies, bread and we want the attachment to grind meat to make sausages and the attachment to make pasta. I can't wait!

This year's Christmas photo

2010-12-08T17:19:00.001-07:00

Yup, this will do it. It's the best one of the bunch.

Look for these in your mail soon.

Let us all hope Mrs. Duffy has a good baby

2010-12-03T14:19:00.003-07:00

Kat's student teacher's last day is today. She is also very pregnant and due very soon. The teacher and the kids planned a surprise baby shower/going away party for her. We made her a card last night. I handed the finished card to Kat to sign and this is what she wrote:

She also always writes her name twice. Once in cursive and once in printing. It's a habit she started a couple months ago.

Here's the front of the card. October Afternoon and the Special Delivery Cricut cart.

First Day of School

2010-11-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

A layout I just completed using October Afternoon's Schoolhouse set.

Thanks for looking. :D

All I need is a flamingo

2010-11-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

I've been working with Nifty Fifties this week and was already in the pink/turquoise mode when I started this project.

After I finished it, I felt it needed a flamingo somewhere on it but I simply ran out of time.

This card is for another fabulous BBTB2 challenge.

DT Sister, Jeri, asked us to use both an ornament and the "Deck the Halls" sentiment from Winter Frolic.

Check out the other designs and play along with the challenge.

The Christmas photo practice session

2010-11-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't want a repeat of last year's Christmas photo disaster so I'm planning something a little different.

We're going to do the pictures at home this year.

Erik and I hit Michael's today and bought a few Christmas pieces and some fake poinsettias. Fake because I know Sookie would try to eat real ones.

I set up the scene but didn't feel like dealing with Kat's hair so we just practiced with what she was already wearing. One thing I've already learned is that we're going to have to put the dogs inside when we do this. Zoe wants to get in the picture and/or have her ball thrown. She drops it on the bench and waits. Liberty likes to walk back and forth in front of the camera just to be annoying and Gigi is always trying to lick my hand.

I have cacti needles in my leg because I moved the bench too close to the Cow's Tongue Prickly Pear.

So...no dogs and move the bench up. Got it. We'll try it again after I figure out how to get the big knot of hair out of Kat's head.

Any suggestions?

Just like E.T.

2010-11-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is what Katrina's bed looks like when it's made. Do you see Sookie?

Attitude

2010-11-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Donna, for the Attitude Award. ;)

According to the rules, it looks like I'm supposed to list 3 things that make me different and nominate 5 others with attitudes.

Hmmmm....

1. I say what's on my mind which sometimes gets me in big trouble.
2. I'm inspired by the darkest music around,
3. I don't feel like answering anymore questions.

Now, to nominate 5...

I have no choice but to nominate Carole. I know that Donna already did, but this woman really has some attitude and deserves to be nominated at least twice. :)

I'm also adding Theresa to the list. She has the most positive attitude known to man. She always adds a smile to my face.

Karen has the same taste for blood and gore that I do. She is my long lost sister and she deserves the attitude award as well.

Linda, because well, she's like my best friend.

Can I nominate Donna again?

Thanks for the award!!

Spicing up the World

2010-11-26T15:07:00.002-07:00

I finally have my laptop back so now I can post all the projects I've been working on.

First up, the cards from my latest card class. All stamps are from Technique Tuesday.

BasicGrey Jovial paper and Ali Edwards Good Cheer stamps

Ali Edwards Good Cheer and Sign of the Times stamps

Ali Edwards Good Cheer and Holly Jolly Christmas

Ali Edwards Good Cheer

An October Afternoon Layout:
October Afternoon Schoolhouse

October Afternoon Schoolhouse and Robotz Cricut cart

Fort Blanket. I think this is the new Bo Bunny. Glimmer Mist, too.

BasicGrey Jovial. That's a Bob Marley statue next to a Christmas tree. Ahhh...Jamaica!

I think I should get some sort of point or something for using a really old product...decorative twistee ties. ;)

That's it for now! Thanks for visiting and thanks so much for your comments. If you don't follow my blog, please do. I'll be having a giveaway when I get to 200 followers.

Hello Kitty Santa

2010-11-22T07:27:00.001-07:00

This week at BBTB2, I asked the designers to use the Hello Kitty Santa from the Hello Kitty Greetings cart.

I used the card function for mine. I flocked the hat and the boots and used antique glass glitter. Am I the only that cuts herself on the glass glitter?

Check out the other designs here.

Some new vintage cut outs

2010-11-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Peggy Loves Vintage has some new Christmas Cut-Outs.

Aren't they cute!! I love working with Peggy's images. They print out so clear and she always has the cutest images. If you've never ordered from her before, you should! Christmas would be the perfect time to experiment as she has a zillion different images.

I cut this little guy out with one of my Nesties, matted it and then put the whole thing on a gigantic-o bottle cap. I smashed the bottle cap with a rubber mallet to flatten it out a bit. I'm not sure who makes the bottle cap, but I got it as one of my free gifties from Blue Moon Scrapbooking. When you order, you always get a free giftie.

Mother's Day

2010-11-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

I love this collection!! New October Afternoon Modern Homemaker.

If I didn't have a sick kid, I'd have 100 more layouts done by now with this collection. ;)

Seven

2010-11-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

Carole asked us to use the cute dog cut from Create a Critter for this week's Bitten By The Bug challenge. This is what I came up with.

New October Afternoon Schoolhouse

Cindy Loo and a cool deali-o

2010-11-04T17:45:00.001-07:00

This week, we used one of the flourishes from Cindy Loo for the BBTB2 challenge. I love that little kitty. I had to add her, too. :D

Here's a new dealio from Scenic Route.

I love that place. I'm stocking up on everything. The deals just can't be beat. This normally sells for $75.00.

and then there is this one, too...

Big deer

2010-11-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

There's a new neighbor down the street with one of these fake deers in her front yard.

Trent has been wanting to get in his Indian costume and pose next to it for weeks now.

Well, we knocked on her door on Halloween and introduced ourselves. She gave the kids some candy and we asked if Trent could pose with the deer for a picture.

She was so nice and let us do it. Trent, at first, wanted us to take a picture of him from across the yard, behind a tree, aiming at the deer with his bow and arrow. I was mortified but the lady laughed it off. I didn't have that kind of lens on anyway, so I made him stand next to the deer and be nice.

She invited us to come over anytime and see the other 4 or so deer she has in her backyard.

2 cars

2010-10-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

We are finally a 2 car family again. We've been making due with one car for the last 4 years. At times it has been very difficult.

No more buses, no more coordinating who gets the car when for doctor appointments, etc.

It's so freeing!!

The 26/38 MPG is what really sold me. Isn't she pretty??