Pencil Lines 68

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Even though the weather was really yucky on Saturday, we managed a birthday party & dinner at Cracker Barrel that night.

I also did these 2 layouts, based off the Pencil Lines 68 sketch. The first one came today quickly.......the second, not so much. I love how it turned out, but it did take me forever. It made me realize how quickly I've been able to put layouts together. They used to sit on my desk for days, but over the past year something has happened & I can get a layout done in 30-mins to a couple of hours. That doesn't mean I get more done in a day, but the process just doesn't take me as long & that makes me happy.

I'm also experimenting with the 60 mm lense I got for Christmas. Being only 5' tall has it's disadvantages with this lense, as I have to stand on a chair to get the entire layout in one shot. Even then, I'm cutting something off. So, sorry if the pics aren't the best, but I'm hoping to get better the more I use the lense.

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and TF stopping by!

CPS #48

Trying to get birthday cards finished that I need to get mailed. I actually should have already mailed them, but I think I'll be safe with Saturday:)

I used the current sketch #48 at CPS and made two, as I like the design. Notice, one is NOT a birthday card....what am I thinking? The owl card is using another CPS sketch #24 & the other is a card for a 7-year old, so using up some old KI Memories (gotta love that).

I'm also using my new 60mm lense & loving it. Fantastic detail & it has nothing to do with my photography skills........'cuz they ain't that great!! I couldn't get the coloring right in the second card though......still working on my PS skills too.

Planning to scrap some more. Gotta get my cards finished & then I want to do some layouts. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Sketch This #40 with balloons

I feel like I haven't done much this week. Been pretty busy with everyday life & that's fine too. I did do a layout though & now I can't remember if I did it this weekend or last week?

Anyway, it's from Sketch This's #40 sketch, which was actually last week's. I totally love this sketch & this picture. I want to use both of them again. I'm not certain I like how this layout turned out, but it's done.

I'm hoping to get some scrapping done this weekend. I've got sketches sitting on my desk for cards & layouts, not to mention I need to get my birthday cards in the mail.

Ashlyn also wants me to make her a bookmark, so how can I deny her:) We're both doing a reading log for her school, so any amount of time I read counts. She's so excited to be "reading" with me & I'm enjoying reading again, so a pair of bookmarks would be kinda neat.

And, since I didn't tell my really good friend Jeannie about my birthday, she planned a little surprise for me tonight. I'm not the type to be center of attention, so believe me, next year I will remind her:) I handle the office, at the dance studio, on Thursdays, so over the course of the entire evening, she had girls from her classes & parents come & give me a balloon until she had given me a total of my age (which will not be given:). AND, she expected me to take them home!!! Which I did! It was actually kinda fun & I thanked her....she's thoughtful like that. So, if you remember my "perpetual birthday calendars" I had made with noone to give them to..............guess who's getting one now!! Yep, I'm gonna gather all the birthdays she needs, put them on the calendar for her & give it to her. Maybe next year I'll get a nice quiet dinner with my good friend!!

Anyhoo.........I hope everyone has a great Friday!!

Scrapbooking Coupon Code

With CHA around the corner, tons of stores are putting product on sale & Just Let Me Scrapbook is one of them. Below is a code good for 20% off your entire order, which would include sale & clearance items. Go treat yourself to some Valentine goodness!!

Valentine's Day
20% discount! (with our already 5% lower prices, this totals a 25% off sale)
through Friday, January 25.
Use the code TREAT20
Just Let Me Scrapbook

It's dreary & rainy in my neck of the woods. Tons to get done today, so I'll be busy. I hope you have a blessed Thursday!!

Tickled Pink................

is an understatement. I received an email tonight from Paper Crafts. Seems they liked my foam button tree & it was selected for their Holiday Cards & More Volume 3 issue to come out in October 2008. Guess my 6+ hours & hundreds of buttons, stick pins & sequins was worth it:)

TF letting me share my good news. Now off to finish my Bible lesson....night night!!

Let's Recap....................

As I'm in Target today, for what seems like the first time since January 1st (seriously), I begin to dwell on my New Year resolutions as my heart starts to beat faster at all the Target goodness before me. Since this post, I've done good...............real good. In fact, I haven't been in Target since. I know to some that might not seem like such a big deal, but for someone who practically "lives" in that store, it's a "honkin'-huge" deal. So, as I was saying.............I've done good, real good.................that is until I hit the jewerly aisle.

I have a soft-spot for costume jewerly & it seems the 5 sets I got for Christmas just don't seem to be enough. Thus the justification of 2 new necklaces & pairs of earrings.

Then I went through the young girls clothing section. Lord only knows my 7-year old needs more clothes & shoes, so why not pick up a couple of new shirts, jacket & a pair of shoes?

Now I'm off to the interior decor section. I ADORE their World Bazaar stuff, but rarely buy anything. Today will be different..................we, oh wait......................hubby bought a flat screen for himself, so I'm in the "redecorating" mode. Mind you, I now have tons of stuff with no where to put it (since we had to get rid of our entertainment center), but I NEED new stuff anyway. I leave this section with a gorgeous Red charger plate on a stand.

So, an unmentionable amount of money later & I'm seriously rethinking my resolution. I did NOT need any of these items. None of them fall in the "necessity" column of our budget and did I mention I also stopped at Michael's? Oh yes I did!!!! Bought me some new K&Co stuff. Did I need it? Heck no, but it sure does look pretty on my scrap table!! I'll be scrapping tonight for sure.

In the meantime, I did this layout Saturday of Ashlyn. These pics were taken this past summer in KS at one of those parks with the fountains that go off & on. I have pictures of all 6 girls, but plucked these pics for a quick layout. Supplies for this layout are sponsored by Just Let Me Scrapbook.

And, in other good news, I did get a card picked up by Cards Magazine for their June issue. Pretty excited about that!! TFL & I hope everyone is off on Monday & if not, enjoy it anyway!

3-Day Weekend!!!

I LOVE them.

LOVE getting to sleep in on Monday
LOVE getting to stay up late on Sunday
LOVE not having to be anywhere on Monday
LOVE having both my girls at home with me

Yep, I LOVE 3-day weekends.

We've got a busy one planned. Did I tell you last Sunday (13th) was my birthday? Didn't think so, but it was & it was spent partly in Baton Rouge, partly in the truck for a 3.5 hour drive home & the rest in bed because I was sick. Fun day indeed. Soooooooooooooo, my sister & her husband are coming over for dinner Saturday, so I'm going to make my own birthday cake tomorrow. Pretty excited because I'm going to try out this new recipe:) Sunday we'll be at my brothers for dinner & to play with his new Wii. I think he's more excited about that then us, but we're game!!

In the meantime, I have 5 other birthdays between Jan 30th-Feb 19th and I'm supposed to be making birthday cards. Here's one for my neice, Baylee, who will be 6. Supplies are sponsored by Just Let Me Scrapbook for both of these cards and I did use the current CPS Sketch #47, again. You'll have to excuse the whacked out colors, but the sun has set & they didn't scan very well either.

This should have been a birthday card, but it's not. I used the Sketch This #37 sketch, which was actually last weeks.

TFL & I hope everyone has a blessed weekend!!

Things that make me happy................

today. Just today, because it definitely changes from day to day.

1) Umbrellas & boots. They have a wonderful way of keeping ya dry!!
2) Homemade hot chocolate..........warms me from the inside out
3) A good Bible lesson....one that really touches my heart & makes me "think."
4) The ability & time to scrap.........Um.........who doesn't love this:)
5) When my youngest wakes from a nap & isn't grouchy (this is more like heaven)!!

These are just a few things. Today has been 45 degrees, which, for my neck of the woods is cold, but couple that with rain & wind.........lots of both & it's about 10 degrees colder (or so they say). I'm making Chicken & Dumplings tonight & will probably have a good heaping cup of my dad's hot chocolate recipe. I can't wait.

In the meantime, I did do the Sketch This Cards #38 and the Pencil Lines #67. Loved both of the sketches & didn't have a hard time coming up with something. Maybe the mojos just flowin'?

TFL & have a blessed Thursday!!

CPS #47 & Caardvarks Challenge

I had a busy weekend. Ashlyn's a mascot for a local dance studio, so she attended the workshops & supported the team during their first competition in Baton Rouge, LA. The competition was tough, but the team did a great job. We couldn't be prouder of them!!

Before I left, I started the current Caardvarks Challenge, which includes a Becky Fleck Card Sketch. Loved the sketch & didn't have a hard time coming up with something. I'm almost done with the Collage Press papers...............I promise:)

I also did the latest sketch for CPS #47. Loved this sketch too & whipped it up real quick.

Not much else is going on.............trying to get some scrapping done, but I stay gone more then I'm home. Maybe this week will prove differently. TFL & have a blessed Tuesday!

CPS #45 & #46

I've been rather productive lately, having accomplished quite a few cards, layouts & a couple of altered projects. I love it when I can get things done this quickly. I won't bore you with all my projects, but here are just a few.

I'm finally getting around to posting my CPS Sketch #45. I did another too, but don't like it as well, so I'll only post this one. I'm loving the new Collage Press papers & this time of year always finds me using these colors.

CPS #46 and more Collage Press papers.

Picture of Ashlyn with her cousin, Nathan. The title signifies how far apart in age they are. I'm wanting to journal, but haven't figured out where yet. The butterflies are some of Heidi Swapp's butterfly masks. I might go back & redo the top one? Hate it when I do that.

I got the idea for this layout a couple of years ago in a magazine. Can't remember which one, or who I got the idea from, but I use it every year. The title might be hard to see, but it's in the middle of all the pictures, using Heidi Swapp ghost letters & reads, "at a glance." I change it up a little each time, but the overall design stays the same. I especially loved the color scheme I chose for this year and who doesn't love the KI lace papers?

I also did 2 hanging perpetual birthday calendars & have no idea what I'm going to do with them. I want to use one for myself, & should probably give the other as a gift? Decisions, decisions. TFL & having a super Tuesday!

My heart is heavy.......................

for awhile now I've been reading this blog. I've never commented on her blog, as I don't do that often with anyone's blog. I mainly lurk & soak in her beautiful pictures & works of art.

She inspires me.....not only creatively, but in my daily life.
Tonight, my heart is heavy.................................very heavy.

In keeping with my "resolution" to

journal, I've been thinking this here blog is easier then pen & paper? Probably because I don't have a journal yet & probably because it's cold here & I don't want to get out & buy one. But..........I feel the need to journal, so I will with a few random things that have been on my mind this morning:

1) I'm driving down Nine Mile Road Saturday & notice the car behind me is staying on my tail. It's very irritating, especially when we're in traffic & there's really no where for me to go. I'm finally able to get a break & I leave him in my dust, only to have to come to a complete stop & notice he's practically in my back seat. I say...."Welp, that's what you get for riding my tail mister!!!" Whereas, Camryn responds with "Momma, you don't have a tail!!" True that my dear, true that.

2) It's cold here (30's & windy) but I feel like me & the girls should get out today. Go where? Who knows, but get out nonetheless.

3) My sister is at work today & I wish she wasn't. I miss talking to her & I just talked with her yesterday:)

4) I really should sit down with all my scrapbooks & organize them better. I scrap in 12x12; 8.5x11 horizontal & vertical. I'm thinking of combining all sizes into one album? Need to really think about this.

5) I should finish my last button tree & get all the supplies put away. I wonder how long I'll leave them sitting up here?

That's all for now.....see, my wee brain doesn't think of too much stuff, yet it's 10:15 AM & Camryn is just now waking up! Gotta love that!!

Though I don't normally "resolve"

to do anything, especially the things I should do...............I've been especially feeling the need to do so this year. The past couple of days I've really been thinking about this new year ahead of me & all I can think about are things I really need to do. So, I decided I would make a resolutions list, though I usually don't.

Here goes: I resolve to:

1) Keep prayer, bible study/reading & God in my life daily
2) Spend more quality time with my family
3) Not spend any money, except on necessity items (this is a long-story)
4) Journal about daily events in the life of my family
5) Pick a designated scrapping time & stick to it

I know this list doesn't seem like much, but it's a lot for me. I'm very possessive of my personal time & because of that, I don't always spend my time where it should be spent (i.e. God & family). I try to spend all my spare time scrapping, on the computer, phone, etc. By resolving to keep my life in priority, I think I stand a better of chance of succeeding then not.

What resolutions, if any, have you made? If you have, I wish you success with them in this coming year!! A PROSPEROUS & HAPPY 2008 to you all!!