Back from the Beach...

Okay, so it's been a month since I blogged (before yesterday) and I'm sorry for keeping you in waiting... life took over, and the internet and computer went to the back burner. I know you're just itchin' to find out what I've been up to, so here goes... Last month, my nephew, Noah, came to visit for the month and we were busy doing things to keep my 3 kids plus Noah occupied. We went to the pool, the park, the library, shopping, boating, dirt-bike & 4-wheeler riding, dune-buggying, bike riding and who knows what else... and they STILL had energy... I don't know where they get it, but a map to find the source would be nice. :) Here's a picture of the four on one of the days we went to the park. (If you click on the pictures, you can see them bigger)

Following Noah's visit at our house, we went for a weeks vacation in the Outer Banks of NC. Yes, I live in NC, but we had to travel 4.5 hours to get to the Outer Banks. I live in the South Outer Banks... much less touristy, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we spent the last week of June with my extended family... some from Georgia, Pennsylvania, and even New York. I wish I could've seen more of my family, but they couldn't make it. We had a great time seeing the ones who were there... we had a housefull... 22 people total.

I miss them all already and can't wait for next year. I have already started scrapping the pictures from the beach. Check out what I've done!

So... what do you think? I'm pleased with what I've done so far. I think I'm going to redo the Ahoy Matey page and spread it into a 2-page spread... so I can add a few more pics & make it bigger. :) I've also been making cards like crazy, but I can't share them until the recipients get them. As many of them read my blog. Sorry. :) I'll be sure to post them soon, though. Leave me a comment... I'll be back soon! Have a great day!

Whew... it's been a LOOOOONG week!

Okay, so the last time I posted, I was on a roll... keeping up with my blog, keeping you informed of the ongoings in my life... and suddenly, I lost it. I knew my "on top of it streak" would come to an end... and it did... but here I am... back in the saddle... exhausted, but I'm here.

I've been making jewelry, scrapbook pages,

cards,

and memories... My mom visited this weekend and for the first time in a VERY long time, we got to stamp together. She brought my nephew, Noah, with her and he'll be staying with us for a month until we meet back up in the Outer Banks of NC for our VACATION!!! So, since Friday afternoon, there hasn't been a single dull moment in my house! We all know that when Momma comes to town, gifts aren't far behind... and luckily, my Anniversary (9 precious years of marital bliss) is next week, followed by my birthday in July... so to celebrate, Momma blessed us with this...

oh yeah, baby... my very own all in one... fax, copier, printer, and the very best photo printer there is! She even loaded us up with photo paper & ink refills... So now, I don't have to wait for pictures to get developed... no lines, no wasting time or money... I can print each picture the size and shape that I want it and no one can stop me! So as you can see above (my strawberry picking pages)... I've already put my new toy to use. I printed all the small prints on the right side as 2X2 prints so I could get more pics on the page. Great, huh? Oh, and the fun didn't stop there... Momma just ordered the whole set of Nestablilities, so do you know what that means? You guessed it... her clone inherits the ones that she'll have double of once she receives her shipment of Nesties... LOOK WHAT I GOT...

and if you look a little closer at the Lattebella card pictured above, you'll see that I've already put my Nesties to use too! I can not complain... I AM a blessed girl.

I've seen many people posting pics of their "stamp/scrap haven" and I have finally taken pictures of my space... I'll post those tomorrow... for now, I've got to get FOUR kiddos into bed! Ta~

Insanity runs in the family...

We inherit it from our children!

I got this quote from a dear friend of mine after thinking long and hard about what the perfect title for these pictures should be. I'm not sure where I got the sketch for this page from, but as soon as I figure that out, I'll be sure to share that info with you. The base is ballet blue, then layered with a white piece that I stamped using Fabulous Flowers. I pulled my colors from the DP used under the picture panel from a pack called Cutie Pie. I LOVE dp, and many of you don't know that I used to be DEAD SET AGAINST using DP. I am a stamper first, so making my own DP has always been the way I've gone. I have learned, though, that sometimes you have to open up your options a bit by adding elements that you wouldn't "normally" add to get the look on your page that you are going for.

These pictures were taken at Christmas this year. The kids were soooo willing to sit and make goofy faces and funny gestures as long as we were snapping shots of them. They're all such hams! I stamped out the word "insanity" using the Doodle Alphabet and then layered various punches to spell out the word on the page. I hand-wrote the rest of the title/quote. My color palette was: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, So Saffron, Night of Navy, and Ballet Blue. I framed the top center image using So Saffron to draw attention to the goofy picture cause it's so darn cute! This page is a little busy for me, but I had to include all the pictures... it wouldn't be complete if I hadn't!

I didn't get to do any of the sketch challenges this weekend, but hopefully, I'll get to play tonight. Have a great day!

Scrappin Again

I finally scrapped the photos I took of the boys with their mohawks... I wanted to scrap them seperately so that eventually, these pages can go into their own scrapbooks designated for each boy.
Here's Ethan's page... I stamped "rock" onto acetate and overlayed the picture with it, attaching with the star brad in the right corner of the pic. (just in case you were wondering if I had actually stamped on the picture - what a sin!). I had all the letters in the word "Mohawks" in glittery chipboard, except for the letter "O" so I had to improvize... I covered a piece of chipboard with Green Galore cs and then dipped it in black craft ink and covered it with Dazzling Diamonds. It doesn't match the others, but I think it fits with the rest of the page just like it was meant to be.

Here's Clayton's page... He's infamous for "winkin" at me when I'm trying to take a picture, so I had to put that one on his page... Clayton's page is a little less complicated... The words were cut using my Cricut - yes, I love it, and I cut around him on the 5X7 pic so it'd stand out a little more. I like how it came out... and it describes him to a TEE... he's definately my Wild Child!

Thanks for poppin' in on me... I'll try to post again tomorrow. :)

God Bless!

I am Just Me - SBS10 Challenge #4

So this week was my turn to post a challenge for my sistahs in my SBS10 group and it was

"We're all getting to know each other a little more each day and now it's time to dig a little deeper. Make a scrapbook page hilighting all things YOU. This page should include things like your favorite color, movie, time of day, things that make you relax, things that make you happy, and most importantly, things that make you who YOU are... there are no color, size, or paper stipulations... just make a page about you."

I've finished mine... this challenge has been swirling around in my head for about a week before I actually posted it for my sistahs, so I had somewhat of an advantage over them. I will admit, this was a tough challenge... perhaps the toughest yet; here's why... We find it so easy to scrapbook about the people we love... those who light up our lives with the smiles they beam at us... it's rare that we use ourselves as our main focus... I mean, think about it... we make these pages for others to look at and often we are the ones who actually took the pictures, so it's natural that our faces don't show up very often in our own scrapbooks... anyway, I overcame my lack of scrapping myself and dove in... here's what I came up with...

I wrote sort of an essay as my journaling block... to include all things that make me who I am... well... most things. I had to limit my words, because my space was limited. I am by nature a writer, and when given a challenge to write, I can get kinda wordy... funny thing is... I'm not a regular journaler. I don't keep a diary, or a journal, or anything like that... I just blog. :) If you are interested in what my journaling says, you can read it below... don't kill your eyes trying to squint to read it on my SB page. :)

DEETS: Paper: Certainly Celery, Butterfly Montage DP by PSX Paper Designs, Orange Sherbet DP (don't know who makes it, sorry), Ink: none, except the ink from my printer; Accessories: Black Sharpie Marker, Cricut Cartridge Opposites Attract

My journaling reads:

"I am a girl who loves to be loved; someone who needs to be needed. I am one of the most stubborn people in the world and I am bold. Many times, I appear to know exactly what I want, but too many of those times, I am questioning myself every step of the way. I try to be self-confident but low self-esteem sometimes gets in the way of that. I am just like my Mother in more ways than one; I love to make things with my hands – Being creative is what gives me serenity. I always strive to be the best at everything and I often come down too hard on myself when I feel I have fallen short. I am a dreamer… Some might say that I have far too many ambitions for one person to accomplish in a lifetime. When I was a little girl, I dreamt of becoming a famous singer, but for now, I think I’ll just stick to singing my children to sleep. I love to dance, as long as no one is watching. In high school, I wanted to become a famous actress… and now, I play the leading role in my life as a Wife and Mother. Family and friends mean the world to me. I love my husband more than words can express. He makes my heart beat steadily. My children are the axel on which my world spins… they keep me on my toes and they never cease to remind me of the important things in life – like unconditional love. I am a Child of God and He cracks my knuckles every time I make a poor decision. It’s ironic how right he is sometimes… Okay, all the time. I like to be the shoulder that my friends lean on when they need a good cry; after all, a good cry is good for the soul. Giving advice comes naturally to me, but I will be the first to admit that I don’t know everything… Okay, maybe the second. I enjoy taking care of others and though I may grow tired or weary, I press on, because I am needed. I love to laugh and I enjoy making others laugh too. I am optimistic – the glass may only have one or two more sips left in it, but that’s one or two more sips that I still have to enjoy. Though I am notorious for being late, I don’t like to miss a thing! I like to think of myself as a great friend – someone you can count on no matter what the situation or need may be. I’ve learned, over the years, that it doesn’t matter what others think of you – it’s how you feel about yourself that really matters. There are so many words I could use to describe who I am, but I’d rather sum it up in just one short sentence…
I am Just Me."

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