Little One - Out of the Colorbox Challenge #2

Today was my first time participating in the twice monthly Out of the Colorbox challenge on the Clearsnap blog, put together by the fabulous Niki Meiners. This round we used Sea Glass, Canary and Scarlet pigment inks. I came up with this pocket announcement card inspired by a cute little clutch purse found on Pinterest. Not typical baby girl colors, but so much more fresh and fun!! I just adore the little pea stamp!

You can find my complete supply list and all the details for participating right here on the blog. Use any products in similar colors you have on hand and link up your creations in the Mr Linky at the bottom of the blog. Hope you get a chance to play along!

Night night!

4th Fireworks Banner

Are you getting excited for the celebrations this weekend?! We usually have a big party out back with tons of food and fireworks but this year we're doing it a little smaller scale. Of course we will still need decorations. Here is the banner I put together to hang in the tree out back. Check out the video tutorial I put together below - my first time in video! How exciting (and embarrassing)! Find the complete supply list on the Clearsnap blog.

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to link up your red, white and blue projects at Paper Issues!

at 27

27 has been a pretty good age so far.

Its still young, but I'm old enough to know better. Old enough to know when to hold my tongue and when to say no. And when to say yes because as you learn some opportunities won't come around again.

I feel like my word for this year - forward - has kept me propelling in the right direction and has helped to leave old memories in the past where they belong.

I'm really starting to recognize and appreciate my strengths. And my weaknesses, well yes, I'm not afraid to own up to those as well.

The place I'm in right now is nothing like I imagined 10 years earlier and that is just perfect. Because I love exactly where I am right now. I am so grateful where my experiences have taken me and can't wait to find out I'm going next.

Life is good. xx

Boy Cousin

Don't get me wrong, I'll never tire of all the princesses and pink but it is exciting to welcome a boy cousin to our family! The girls and I are just smitten with him!

I used my Paper Moon kit and the SC Sunday Sketch to create this layout along with Clearsnap Embossing Powder in Black on the chipboard letters and Archival Dye in Wicked Black to stamp the moon.

Also had to make a little paper circle solar system at the bottom, just cause the kit has a spacey theme.

Well, we are off to camp for a couple more days. See you soon!

Piggy Updates

Hey there. Just thought I'd share a few updates today about our no-longer-little piggy.

- When he came to live with us almost 3 months ago he weighed 25 lbs and was the size of a small dog. Now he weighs around 150 lbs and hits mid thigh.

- He eats a 50# bag of high protein feed about every 6 days.

- If his feeder happens to running low or if he just gets bored, he rips it off the wall. Haven't yet figured out a way keep it wired to the wall.

- He also likes to tip his water bucket. At first I think he was making a mud hole to lie in, but the pen is pretty muddy now. I've taken to watering him with the hose. He likes to drink straight from it or the kids fill up water bottles and pour it right in his mouth. So funny.

- Since all the rainstorms, the mud in his pen is about a foot. Seriously thought I was going to get stuck in the muck today.

- The stink of said muck is nearly impossible to get off. Even after a scrub in the shower my hands smelled faintly of pig. Have to take a nail brush to really scrub it out.

All in all, it has been a really fun experience taking care of this pig. The chores are dirty but not too hard, the kids love him and I love that he recognizes us and grunts and runs around the pen when he sees us coming. Definitely something I hope to do again next year.

Happy Summer Sketch Book

Just a quick one for you this morning...

Jump on over to the Lucky Girl Crafts blog to take a peek at the details of this little doodle book I created using June's kit Hullabaloo. There are a few left in stock too!

Hope your day is a great one!

Fly Me To The Moon - MME Card Challenge #24

Of course I waited to the last minute to make T's card for Father's Day. Had been pondering the card sketch at the MME blog for about a week, not quite sure how to use it but really wanting to make it work for this card. Then while the kids were snacking on bomb pops yesterday it suddenly hit me - a rocket ship! And because the theme along with the sketch was to use a song for the title - Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon would be perfect to draw it all together. I used Alphabet Soup, Meadowlark and Stella Rose.

As you can see, I used a little artistic liscense with the sketch and turned it on it's side, but all the elements are still there - the stripes on the ship, the 3 windows/leg and the solid base behind - the flames.

I also used Clearsnap Colorbox Queue inks to highlight the edges of the rocket and flame and Smooch on the "welds" of the rocket. And we sent 3 little chromosomed penguins aboard to represent daddy's little loves. Along with a fat steak, some potato salad and deviled eggs, this will hopefully bring a smile to his face.

Have a great weekend!!

Mini Vaca Pics in Instagram

Hello! The girls and I took a little trip last weekend to visit my little sis and her new baby boy. Almost everything that could have went wrong did, but we still had a nice time and of course loved that little guy up!

Here's a peek at our trip in the lovely color spectrum of Instagram pics:

Leah woke up with a fever Saturday morning, but after a looong nap she practiced -and got comfortable with - riding her new big girl bike.

Rora woke up later and also practiced on her smaller big girl bike.

Then we had the distinct pleasure of riding around on paved, city streets for several blocks. Listening to the girls scream in terror as their bikes rolled down a small incline was hilarious - no really, I could walk to keep up with them they were rolling so slowly. A few mini hills later and they were finally okay with it.

Followed by a backyard BBQ with my mom and her old man. I love eating outdoors!

Sat. night we celebrated this beauty's 27th birthday club hopping and riding around town in a limo. Crazy, fun night!! My feet are still blistered and aching from all the dancing. ;)

Of course these lovely blue eyes woke up with a fever on Sunday so we were stuck at home once again.

Then finally Monday, we got to visit this sweet little face! Such a good baby, so small (even though he started life at a whopping 9.5 pounds!) and just content with life and his mommy. He has little dimples when he smiles and makes the funniest series of faces while he's sleeping.

I love him! So excited to be an auntie!!

The girls of course loved him too and oohed and gooed and gave him lots of sweet forehead kisses. They tried to hold him but he's just a little too small yet.

My sister looks perfect after only 10 days - like she was never even pregnant! She'll make such a great momma!

We spent most of the next 3 days at my sister's but also took a break to play at the park, give big doggy kisses, make necklace shapes, take silly photos and snuck in a play date too.

The ride home was way too long with all the construction and detours from flooding. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much about the inconvenience since we are not the poor folks affected by the rising waters. It gets really scary when the natural disasters hit so close to home.

Please excuse me while I head back into my rose colored world.

That's What She Said

So the hubs and I have been arguing that this saying is supposed to be a dirty double entendre but I don't think that it always has to be. In any case I won't be giving this birthday card to the little girl I had originally planned to just in case her parents happen to feel the same way. Awkward.

However it will work perfectly for a friend of mine who recently celebrated her 27th and isn't afraid to be a little risque. Now how about all that pink ;)

Two firsts for me here - one being that gorgeous JBS butterfly stamp that I finally was brave enough to use and second that I embossed for the very first time. Have been avoiding it cause it always seemed like a whole other realm of supplies I'd need to store but must say I am sorry to be jumping on the wagon so late. Gorgeous texture! I'm not sure how I'll ever stamp again without it!

And that's all for today folks.

Sketchabilities!

  

Hi there! Just wanted to pop in today to share the news that I will be joining this list of lovely ladies from all around the world to scrapbook using Sketchabilities sketches!

CYTHNIA RENAUD - BRAZIL

ESTHER ZARZEULA - MADRID

JENIFER EVANS - USA

JODI DOLBEL-AUSTRAILIA

JUDY BEEKSMA-CANADA

KANAKO SAKURAI-JAPAN-RETURNING

KEREN TAMIR - CANADA

MICHELLE WEDERTZ-USA

LEANNE ALLINSON-AUSTRAILIA

MICHELLE GALATUIK-CANADA

MIRANDA WEDEKIND-NETHERLANDS-RETURNING

MARGREET WESTERLING-NETHERLANDS-RETURNING

PETRA OFFRELL-SWEDEN-RETURNING

SABRINA ALERY-USA ==> that's me!

SHONA KEEHN-CANADA-RETURNING

TERESA DIEGUEZ-SPAIN-RETURNING

Looking forward to throwing down some sketches with all of you! xx

Wedding Cake - linkup at Paper Issues

I just love weddings! All the romance, the opportunity to dress up, the food and of course all the handmade touches that make each and every one so special. And it just so happens that the current link-up at Paper Issues is all about this season of love.

Above is a card earlier this year that makes me squeal with delight every time I see it even though it's been rejected by every. single. publication I've sent it to. Seriously, what are they thinking? I love it so much I don't even care. The base of the cake is made from the lovely Pink Paislee resist papers, then there are the ribbon flowers (pre-made), and the glitter ribbon and the cascading ribbon up top.

Wanna know the secret to making your ribbon hold a curl? Wrap it around a skewer or pencil and put it in the oven @ 250 degrees for about 10 minutes. Not sure how it works, but it's magic for sure.

Looking forward to seeing all your wedding creations!!

Bubble Dress revisited

A facebook friend contacted me a while back asking if I could make a bubble dress for her little sweetie's 3rd birthday. Of course I said yes and was even more excited to find out I could select the fabric in a color scheme she liked - pink and brown. Found this vintage-y print at Joann's and fell in love even though it's not exactly pink. The brown polka dots go so well with it, don't you think? I really, really hope she likes it too!

This version is a bit dressier and I made some changes like the elastic in the bottom (the first was hard to run in), and making the bow a belt rather than just sewn to the front. There is also a zipper in the back since this material doesn't stretch - forgot that to begin with and had the bias tape sewn on before I realized no head could fit through the hole! Oops!

And one more view from the back. Heading out to drop this beauty in the mail right now.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Let's Hear It For The Boys

I'm a little late posting this but there are still a few more days for you to link up all of your manly projects at Paper Issues. And nope, I don't have anything new to share for this time around but we did make chocolate mustache suckers today. That counts, right? ;{)

 

Dragon Carousel - XOXO Challenge #19

We took a short break but the latest challenge is up on the XOXO blog. There are 14 fabulous layouts for you to choose from - scraplift just one or ten and you could win a subscription to Scrapbooks Etc, courtesy of our donor Charvonna Stackhouse. It's an awesome mag, I recently won a subscription from Jamie and am lovin the inspiration.

And here is the page I created for this month's challenge...

I used last month's Sass sketch plus my Who's Who kit from SC to complement the carousel pic. She always chooses the biggest, scariest animal. Love that about her.

You have until June 30th to post your layouts! Happy scrappin!

Friendship Blossoms

Well hello there, it's been awhile. ;)

A couple weeks back, we had a lightning storm that managed to fry everything hooked up to one outlet in the kitchen - namely all the computer equipment. What a desperate feeling to be stuck without internet access for more than a week and lots of deadlines. It seems I rely a little too much on our computer.

However, we are back in business with a new tower, modem and printer. Hoping I can get all our pictures off the old hard drive and am slowly reestablishing all the info, favorites, etc. Such a pain!

In much better news:
- my sister had her baby boy! Can't wait to meet him this weekend!!
- Rora's first ballet recital was last weekend and she loved it! Didn't remember the entire routine of course, but the girls were still so cute in their costumes and makeup!
- Hubby is home for the week!
- I've gotten so much done without the distraction of the internet - here's a look....

This was created using the May Sweet Peach Crop Shop sketch plus their Juicy kit for the same month. Love all the bright colors here. Did you know they are giving away a $25 gift certificate to the shop to the sketch winner? Crossing my fingers!

Keegan just adores wearing temporary tattoos. He got a huge pack of them  for his birthday and this was the last of the batch. They make him look like such a tough guy - that's important to a boy, right?

Next up are photos from the recital of little miss + her dance friends in their get-ups. Everyone did so well during the show. No one ran off stage, no tears, just fun. Can't wait to do it all again next year.

And saving the best for last, my fav page created with the kit. Lots of layered flowers to go with the blossoming theme. I love how close the girls have gotten. There was a time when I wasn't sure they were going to like each other at all. And they still have their moments but mostly they are BFF's. I hope it always stays that way. Love you girls.

Hope your summer is starting off right! love.

Hullabaloo - Lucky Girl Crafts June Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Lucky Girl Crafts blog hop! Today we are celebrating June's new kit, Hullabaloo! It's packed full of color and fun and is perfect for all your summer pages and more! Did you come here from the Lucky Girl blog? If not, that's okay, just start back there and be sure to leave a comment on each stop for the chance to win a great prize!

Here are the projects I made with the kit:

 

Such a fun shot of Miss Leah - she is such a pretty girl. Can't believe how grown up she is getting! Of course I had to focus on the rainbow elements in the kit here!

 

Here are some fun moments from our Memorial weekend camping trip, taken with my hubby's phone. This is the first page I created with the kit, starting with the photo strip. Love that strip - my very favorite element in the kit. Well except for those Thickers and the twine, er the buttons too!

And yet another page using a red background! I just kept adding hearts and little bits of this and that in the cluster up top. We no longer see one another every day or even talk on the phone for that matter and it's really made me realize how much I miss spending every day with the old man.

Did you know that this month is Lucky Girls 1st birthday? To celebrate, Jessica is having a gigantic sale!

Through June, or while supplies last - Lucky Girls can get a screamin' deal on Lucky Girl kit purchases!

BUY 5 LUCKY GIRL KITS FOR JUST $100!!!

You'll save over $45 off regular retail price!

Just use discount code LUCKYBDAY at checkout
If you're a little more budget-minded, you can still save big!
All past kits have been marked down to just $24.99 - $5 off their original Lucky Girl price!
What are you waiting for? Go get your kits TODAY at www.LuckyGirlCrafts.com

Limited quantities are available in all kits, so hurry and get yours today!!!
*International orders welcome, but please e-mail jasafras98@yahoo.com

Next up on the hop, Ruth!