Crop with Sweet Peach - Self Portrait

The Sweet Peach Crop Shop is hosting a two-weeks long crop on the blog and there will be a drawing at the end of this week for a three-months subscription to the kit club!

Today is my turn to post a challenge and a project, so here it is: include something on your project that is handwritten/drawn/painted. 

The crop is titled "Back to School" so naturally I thought of scrapping my school-aged child.  She drew this only a couple of weeks ago. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use the Sweet Peach kit to scrap it.  I've seen ideas similar to this in a CK magazine where the scrapper took photographs of her children's artwork and scrapped them.  In this case, the drawing is small enough so I included the original artwork on the page.  Then I interviewed the artist and turned that material into journaling for the layout. By all means, I am a proud Mama and very happy to have this medium to showcase her artwork.

These Nantucket papers from Pink Paislee are serenely beautiful.  These hexogonal chipboard pieces have a glossy finish and are perfect for accents!

So maybe you have a drawing by your child or by yourself that you want to scrap as well?  If not, just include something handwritten/drawn/painted on your project.  To be eligible for the grand prize, please be sure to link your project based on this challenge and all other challenges in the comments on the Sweet Peach Crop Shop blog.  I really hope to see some participation :)

Hello Fall and Xbox and a Layout

Fall is officially here and we are experiencing some lovely weather right now. It won't be long before the frigid fingers of winter grab ahold of us for six months :) In one week, I head out to Anaheim for a work conference so I'm trying to get caught up with stuff at home and scrapping. My dad ambushed us with an Xbox and that might have much to do with my lack of posting as well. I say ambush because it would have been nice to be given even a hint that such a thing is coming in the house before it was unleashed and the kids told that it was their Christmas gift this year.  Oh well :)

Here is a layout I did this summer. I just loved this Days of Summer collection by Simple Stories! I just wanted to cut into it and make stuff because these are such fun papers!  It's a little busier than what I typically do, but it sure was fun to make :)

Oh yes, let me lament again over my Cricut, lol, at this point, it's like why don't I just shut it and get another one, eh? lol.  Love this laundry line in the Country Life cartridge!

A couple of Maya Road flowers over a Maya Road kraft doily.  Cute stuff!

I had a very productive weekend scrapping wise and I look forward to sharing some projects later this week!  Until then, have a great week!

Owl Cute

Prize: a Three-Months Subscription to Sweet Peach Crop Shop!

Now that we got the most important thing out of the way, let's discuss how to win this amazing prize! Sweet Peach is having a "Back to School" crop and hop.  You have till Wednesday Oct. 5, 2011 to complete the challenges on the Sweet Peach Blog. You can take on just one challenge during the crop or all ten challenges. You will get an entry for every challenge you complete. Again, you are playing for a three-Months Subscription to Sweet Peach crop Shop!!

The first challenge is a sketch challenge courtesy of Keri Babbit.  You can check out what the design team has created with this adorable sketch here. 

The second challenge is all about numbers, you can check out the challenge here.  And check back at the Sweet Peach Crop Shop's blog every day for a new challenge during the crop.

Now onto Doodlebug News... the new design team is being introduced daily and it looks like my mug is up for today :)

Lastly and sadly (because my Cricut is broken)...  here are a bunch of Cricut cards using the Hoot N Holler Lite cartridge that I created for the Sweet Peach September kit last month.  I need to figure something out about my Cricut... just haven't decided the approach yet... sigh...

Make It and Take It!

I spent the last two days working the Graphic 45 booth at the Mall of America for Archiver's annual Scrapfest.  I recognized quite a few ladies who went through our make-and-takes last year and I also met a few new ones along the way. Many asked me if I was sick of repeating the same instructions for the nth time, but I truly enjoy it.  It's the customers' first time going through the project and their delights show, and that's all this extrovert needs to sustain her enthusiasm :)  Scrapfest is also my annual opportunity to hang out with the Graphic 45 folks, Diane, Aimee, Charee and Jeff this time! I think I can sum up my experiences with them in one sentence: "I feel the love!"

Scrapfest also brings many friends to town! I had dinner with the Core'dination crew, what fun that was! I don't know how Mindy spilled her entire drink but didn't get a drop on her!  Ellen apparently orders two drinks at a time! Love it! :)  I stopped by Doodlebug's booth and met everyone there and checked out the adorable products! Laina and I spent some quality time catching up.  Finally I met Robin after several attempts of playing tags.  Really, this event is this extrovert's dream come-true.  Even so, I was completely beat and spent most of today on the couch comatose...

Before I go, let me post the latest Color Room palette and my take on these colors.  It was a hard palette for me, but I managed a layout, though far far far from my best palette work, oh well. I did finally use the October Afternoon gal sticker in my stash. I think you can tell from my blog header how much I love her :)

This is it for now. I will make the Graphic 45 projects we did at Scrapfest later and post them sometimes this week if the weather cooperates.  Ah yes, the fall is upon us and the daylight is shrinking :)

Thank You Michelle and Doodlebug News

We were practically on our way to the airport when Michelle said, "hey your girls want some Halloween costumes?" Do they EVER?! We swung by Michelle's house where she pulled out a couple of costumes for the girls to try. To my great horror, First Born had the audacity to reject the first one presented to her, something about the red in the costume that she did not care for...  Before I could put an end to the impolite and unnecessary pickness, Michelle pulled out another costume that satisfied her!  Why couldn't she and Aubree live closer? lol.

I still have plans to make some kind of "evil" crown for First Born as requested by her.  But no sooner did I post my blog entry about my Cricut cards, the part that holds the blade broke!!  I am Cricut Expressionless right now and I'm not sure how to recover from this huge loss!  Apparently, Provo does not sell any spare parts to the machine to replace the simple holder for the blade...  oh let the tears of sorrow flow...

Onto happier news...  I created this layout to document the history of getting the costumes from Michelle using all Doodlebug products.  It was the layout I submitted to Doodlebug's design team call.  I am delighted to have made the team, the announcement is here. Again, let the tears flow, but at least these are happy ones.

Cricut Cards

Today I came home to a big box of stuff from Northridge Media. Two layouts and two cards were returned along with my copies of the magazines.  It was unexpected and meant that I have new materials from six months ago to share finally, yipee! :)  I have two cards published in this wonderful magazine.  As a Cricut owner and user, I can't tell you how much I love these Cricut cards magazines from Northridge media. Talk about a whole lot of inspiration at once!  Perhaps more than anything else, if I have the cartridge, it is really quite easy to replicate a card. 

In defense of old scrap that you may be still holding onto... The papers I used for the balloon and the bird's body are from Basic Grey's Phresh and Phunky collection, courtesy of 2005 I believe :) The dots paper is Melissa Frances 2004 if not earlier! Yeah baby, who said hoarding scraps don't pay off eventually? lol.  I initially made this card for a Valentine's Day assignment for SRM Stickers but I actually held it back because of the old supplies I had used!  I am glad that the editors liked it.

This card I made for Midnight Rooster and I had previously posted this before.  Again, I used an SRM Sticker for sentiment. Even though I am no longer on that design team, I continue to use these versatile stickers from SRM.  What can I say, the products shine! :)   I also used a very delicate scallop edge trimmer from Purple Cows for the dark brown background, cute stuff!

Lastly, I want to mention that I will be at Scrapfest again this year at the Graphic 45 booth. If you are there, please stop by and say hi!!!  It starts this Friday!  I am so happy to say that my back is 98% recovered so I should be good to go standing for hours on end :)

Have a great evening, now I must go do some scrapping!

Today and Always

I'm Gonna Snap!

I may walk like a duck yet but I refuse to quack! :) I do feel rather lame walking around supporting my back.  I think I'm improving every day but it'll be weeks before I go back to YMCA. Right now, things can't be hurried and I will be happy when I don't think about how I'm walking when I'm walking!

I feel like I'm gonna snap over this back issue, but here is DD imitating me snapping away :)  I did not see this coming. She just put her fingers up to her eyes and started to make "camera noises." Of course, I was right there with the real thing snapping away :)  This layout is based on a sketch by Keri for Sweet Peach Crop Shop. 

This Jillibean Soup tag is from my stash, perfect for this layout and I added an Amy Tangerine brad that came with the kit to accessorize.  I also did some hand stitching with some Jillibean's baker's twine. I do love the hand stitched look but I am too lazy to do it much :) 

Lastly folks, the NFL season is now under way!  Who is excited?! :) 

Weekend Accomplishments...

If "accomplishment" means what I did to myself, I managed to throw out my back! Getting old definitely sucks! I was picking up a piece of paper on the front stairs. I was not in a hurry. I wasn't making sudden or jerky movements. I simply bent down slightly and straighted myself up to a pain I had never known before! I managed to get myself back into the house and DH had to go pick up the stuff I left outside. There went my weekend plans. Here's to hoping driving to work won't be too much of a problem tomorrow!

I did manage finishing a few projects before I was rendered immobile and invalid for the weekend!  Here's another layout with a garden theme :)  Using the Sweet Peach Crop Shop's September Sweet kit, and mostly Jillibean Soup products, the radishes get their tribute :)

Here is a close-up.  These Amy Tangerine Thickers from American Crafts are just way too adorable :)  The stitches really dress them up and I didn't have to draw them on :)  fabulousness!  The radish at the lower right hand corner is a Cricut cut using the Country Life cartridge, exactly what this layout needs :)

All right folks, it's time to get some needed rest.  My dad told me to sleep on the wood floor so that my back wouldn't "sink in" permanently.  I say it's illegal to practice chiropractics without a license!

Happy U.S. Labor Day Weekend!

Color me excited with a three-day weekend!  Our YMCA is partially closed for its annual cleaning, so we went to a different YMCA at dinner time to take the Cardio Kick class with our usual instructor.  It's basically an hour of non-stop jumping around and I usually just want to fall over and die around 20 minutes.  LOL.  But nothing beats getting an intense workout in before the weekend!

WIP kits' projects have been posted so let me share a layout and an album cover here.

This layout is based on a sketch by the talented Lydell Quin for the Color Room #72. I adored the palette and the sketch but I just couldn't fit it in so I used the amazing sketch on this layout.  This year was the first that Second Child could actually slide down this water toy.  She loved it!  And I love her goggled look :)

The WIP kit came with an 6x6 mini-album.  I altered the covers and gave it to my mother. I didn't expect her to like it but she immediately raided my stash of photos and make herself a brag album.  "Now I can show off the photos anywhere I go," she said! LOL.

I seriously considered not doing the 3-d foam adhesives knowing that I'm giving it to my mother.  She prefers everything to be flat.  Her embellishment choice is always flat stickers :) I guess in the end, I just had to add some dimension! :) 

The kids are finishing watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball, and I'm ready to lie on the couch and vegetate, lol.  Weekend is here!!  So excited!! I hope you have a great one!!