Inkin' & Thinkin'

Drama King Blog Train

I have to apologize.  I didn't realize I'd made the list for this blog train so I'm a lot late posting my page and your coupon code!  I'm so sorry!

Drama King is Pretty Scrappy's latest Collab and it's so jam packed full of goodness I can hardly stand it!  It's grungy and it's textural and it's made with wonderful colors.  It's full of music and hip hop and skateboarding and all kinds of good stuff!  It's a must have if you ask me!

Here's a little preview for you...

I have a brag book page made for you as well.  I hope you like it. 

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download the brag book page and coupon code here.

Bingo...in 30 minutes...holy smokes!

Ok...so maybe I'm blonde or maybe I should be! I totally spaced out Pretty Scrappy Bingo tonight so I'm going to give you a quick list...simply download the bingo card and markers (or if you already have it you can use the same one)

Add the words you'd like to use to your card, save it for web and email it to me at wendytunison@gmail.com before 8pm CST (9pm EST, 7pm MST, 6pm PST) when we'll start playing. I'll see you in the chat room then!

Here's tonight's list (totally random words):

Girl
Boy
Life
Create
Imagine
Red
Orange
Blue
Laptop
Printer
Camera
External Drive
Water
Ice
Rain
Snow
Sunshine
Cloud
Tree
Lilacs
Chips
Salsa
Margaritas
Angel
Bird
Picnic
BBQ
Fork
Spoon
Knife
Worm
Fish
Deer
Candle
Hearts
Stars
Circles
Egg
DVD
Memory Card
USB
Snowmobile
Truck
Convertible
Music
Sound
Swim
Lake
Pool
Dance

You can download the card and markers here. See you in an hour!

A couple of Layouts & A Freebie

Where did the day go?  It seems like I just woke up but man, the day is almost over!  Lexi has been sick all day today and when she's sick, it's like having a man sick in your house...you know how it goes...the sighing and the moaning and the bring me this and that and cuddle me and complain, complain, complain!  LOL!  Poor kid!  So I spent the majority of my day just cuddling her.  The rest of it was spent doing laundry.  Somedays, it's such an exciting life I lead. 

So I have a couple of layouts to show you that I've done this week and then I'll have a little goodie at the end of it all just for you.

This first page is how I feel today!  LOL!  This is my darling little nephew hamming it up for my camera.  Isn't he cute?!

Credits:  That's What Boys Are Made Of by LucieB Designs

This is my baby brother, Mark, doing what he loves.  I remember as a small child he loved to ride on our backs and pretend he was riding a bull.  So when my mom told me that he started riding bulls I wasn't a bit surprised.  I got a chance to watch him last summer and it was awesome to see him riding. 

Credits:  That's What Boys Are Made Of by LucieB Designs

simply.scraps released a new kit today called Meggy Lou and I just loved the funkiness of this kit.  Such bright colors and unique embellishments!  YUMMY!  So I decided to do a couple of layouts with it. 

If you're local, look closely at these cute little faces.  These are a few pics from Lexi's Kindergarten sleepover.  This was our first one and it was crazy but so much fun!

Credits:  Meggy Lou by simply.scraps

This next layout is all about Izzy's first sledding trip.  She went with Uncle Chris and his girls and sledded all day long!

Credits:  Meggy Lou by simply.scraps

And now we are to the QP freebie I promised you yesterday.  This is coming to you from Scrapper Girl Designs' kit Ainsley.  I couldn't resist the pink cuteness of this kit in any way!  I hope you enjoy the QP I've made for you!

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download the QP here.  Enjoy!

Imagine and a freebie!

There is something about Farrah's kits that bring out my emotions.  I don't know if it's the texture of it all or the colors or what.  But there is always something about her kits that make me dig a little farther from the norm for my journaling.  Her latest kit Imagine did the same thing.  I love the blues and browns and blacks in this kit and all the grungy elegance of it all.

Before I show you that though, I thought I'd remind you about the sale she is having this month.

She is also giving away a little somethin' until Sunday if you'd like to pick it up...I did!

You can pick them up here.

Now how about some layouts?  This first one is about Kaylee.  She is the  most unique of my children.  The other two were spitting images of each other as babies and really have acted very much alike.  Their personalities are similar as are their mannerisms.  But Kaylee on the other hand is completely different.  So I thought I'd put that into a page.

Credits:  Imagine by Farrah's Designer Scraps

This second page is where the crazy emotions came into play.  I started out this page with a completely different idea and tone but once I started typing there was no stopping.  And once it was typed I decided to just leave it.  So it's a little raw but I think that's okay every now and then.

Credits:  Imagine by Farrah's Designer Scraps

And finally, I made a QP for you with this kit.  I hope you'll enjoy it.

You can pick up the kit here.

You can grab the QP here.

Enjoy!

I'll have another girly QP for you tomorrow...it's too cute!

Like No Tomorrow & A Freebie

It amazes me sometimes how quickly our family rotates to Andy's schedule.  He rotates between night shift and day shift and when he's on nights, we simply stay up all night just like him and sleep the day away just like him.  This is good and bad.  I feel like we miss out on a lot of things we could do during the day but at the same time, it's so nice to sleep in the sunshine and be awake when the rest of the world is quiet. 

Last night we stayed up all night.  The girls danced and sang to music and I got a little work done.  I love that feeling.  It is fun to see them all get together and dance and sing along to the music as loud as they want to.  I remember when I was little, my mom would dance with me and I loved it.  My mom is a fantabulous dancer and whenever a good song came on the radio she couldn't help but grab one of us and start dancing.   I remember feeling like a million bucks when she danced with me.  She would jitterbug me around the living room and her rhythm was perfect.  Somedays I wish I was still small enough to stand on her feet and dance her steps.    What a fun feeling.

Of course I'm a little too big to do that now and I definitely don't have her rhythm so I dance awkwardly when the mood strikes but you know what, I still dance (only in my living room or craft house.  LOL!) and I still get a huge amount of joy from that.  Izzy loves to dance too and it's quite often that we move all the tables out of the way in the craft house and turn the music up loud and just let loose.  There's nothing like it!

Today's post has nothing to do with dancing I guess but as I sat down to type, the words came so I figured, why not?  LOL!  So thanks for coming down memory lane with me.  Now I'll show you some layouts.

Jodi released a new kit this week called Like No Tomorrow and I got the chance to work with it and I had fun doing it!  This first page is kind of off the wall but you know what, sometimes you just gotta do that.  I have this sick obsession with organization...not that my house is.  But I do love to look at organization options and dream of all the things I could make look cute if I had a million bucks to do it with!  LOL!

Credits:  Like No Tomorrow by Throwing Some Scraps Around

Then there was this rainbow in the kit and these sparkles and when I think of rainbows, I think of my friend's little girl, Ruby.  She is such a little ray of sparkles and rainbows.  I just love being around her because she is the perfect example of a little girl.  So happy and beautiful!

Credits:  Like No Tomorrow by Throwing Some Scraps Around

And I also made you a little QP freebie as well with the more prominent colors in the kit. 

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download the QP here.

Come back tomorrow for a new freebie!

Peaceful Journey & a Freebie!

I promised you a freebie yesterday so I thought I better get in gear and deliver today!  LOL!  I have been working with Farrah's recent release Peaceful Journey lately so I thought I'd share a couple of layouts as well as a freebie QP.

Do you have Aunts & Uncles who really aren't related?  I know I did as a kid.  There was Grandma Carlson who was our next door neighbor.   She always had bowls of buttermints waiting for us.  I loved to feel her arms because they were so different from anyone else's.  They were covered in wrinkles and they were loose and wobbly.  I loved that as a child.

I had Uncle Rick who I was going to grow up and marry someday.  He was simply the coolest person I knew.  He use to let us clean his house for him and we could keep whatever money we found laying around for doing it.  Of course, looking back, I think he probably threw most of that change out on the floor on purpose!  LOL!  He use to take us for ice cream and swimming at the lake.  He was one cool dude back in the day.

There was also Grandma Tieson who I got the opportunity to go and see last summer.  She still knew who I was immediately and I have to say that her hug was one of the best feelings ever.  She hasn't changed one bit since the last time I saw her when I was in 8th grade.  She still has that same love and happiness to her and visiting her felt like going home.  What a treasure.

Of course, along with Grandma Tieson and Uncle Rick came all of her real grandkids.  I couldn't wait for summer to come when Christy and Tiffany would come to visit their grandma and when Kori and Brian moved to town, it was like getting another brother and sister! 

I think those bonds never really fade out and all of the wonderful people we adopt into our families are true blessings in our lives.  One of those blessings for our family has been Uncle Dean.  Uncle Dean has been Andy's parents' best friend since high school.  Andy & I genuinely love this man like an Uncle and my kids are now enjoying a relationship with him as well.  The girls just love him and I am thankful for him being a part of our lives.

Credits:  Peaceful Journey by Farrah's Designer Scraps

Now, if you know Kaylee, you know that she thinks all boys are ugly and that there is no way she'll ever have a boy friend!  LOL!  She is only in 2nd Grade so I'm happy to hear her say these things.  Boys should still have cooties at that age!  But the other day while we were watching Twilight (yes, again) she let it slip that she thinks Jacob is cute.  She immediately took it back and tried to cover it up, but it was too late, she had uttered the words.  So naturally, as a scrapbooker, I had to do my duty to document it.

Credits:  Peaceful Journey by Farrah's Designer Scraps

Now, while I was working with this kit, I also made you a QP.  I hope you'll enjoy it!

You can pick up the kit here.

You can pick up the QP here. 

Enjoy!

I will have another for you tomorrow!

Grab a cup, a towel and a freebie!

Well, my weekend was a little off schedule so I am running behind in getting things posted here...but I'm here now so let's get to it!

I have listed my kit Burst of Summer for sale over there to the left in "My Kits For Sale" and if you missed it, you can pick it up now!  Here's a little refresher of what it looked like.

You can also pick it up here in this post if you'd like for just $3.00.  Enjoy!

Now, if you missed the speed scrap Saturday night then you also missed these hottie layouts I made up for the occasion.  LOL!  So this is where the towel will come in handy...enjoy!

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Adrift by Just Passin' Thru

And in case you couldn't tell, I really like Just Passin' Thru's new kit Adrift!  LOL!  If you're hottie didn't make this list this time, never fear.  I have plans to make a few more pages with this kit and create a little hottie album just for moments when I might need a drool!  LOL!

So how about a few more wild things?  Late Night Scraps collaborated with Creations by Rachael B this weekend to bring you a beautiful zoo kit called Safari Stampede.  Lucky for me, I had just been to Cat Tails Zoo with Kaylee's class so I had some pics to put on it!  YEAH!

Credits:  Safari Stampede by Late Night Scraps & Creations By Rachael B

Credits:  Safari Stampede by Late Night Scraps & Creations by Rachael B

Credits:  Safari Stampede by Late Night Scraps & Creations By Rachael B

Credits:  Safari Stampede by Late Night Scraps & Creations By Rachael B

They also have some add-ons available as well that include a set of Quick Pages, a set of CU Animals, and a mini kit add-on.  And if you want the mini kit and the full size kit, you can even get them as a bundle!  How cool is that!?

Stacey Crossley Designs also had a new release this weekend called Mask Addiction that I couldn't resist playing with.  There are so many things you can do with a mask and I had a little fun with these ones!  I also used an older release of hers called Childhood...so bright and cheery!

Credits:  Mask Addiction & Childhood by Stacey Crossley Designs

Credits:  Mask Addiction & Childhood by Stacey Crossley Designs

Let's see...what else can I show you?  Ah, yes....a few more new releases!  YEAH!  Laura aka simply.scraps released a new kit called I'll Cry If I Want To and it was delicious!

Credits:  I'll Cry If I Want To by simply.scraps

Credits:  I'll Cry If I Want To by simply.scraps

You want more new releases?  Well, I can deliver!  Trixie Scraps also released a collab with simply.scraps this weekend called Me & My Teddy so you know I had to play a little with that!

Credits:  Me & My Teddy by Trixie Scraps & simply.scraps

Credits:  Me & My Teddy by Trixie Scraps and simply.scraps

Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs also released a great kit recently called Weekend Getaway and with it's beautiful earthy colors, I was smitten! 

Credits:  Weekend Getaway by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  Weekend Getaway by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

And now that you've made it this far and your cup is almost empty...how about a freebie?  This QP is from Shanmomto4 Designs' kit Awakening.   This kit was so beautiful to work with...so peaceful and calming. 

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download the QP here for the next week and then it'll be gone.  Enjoy! 

THE LINK IS NOW FIXED!  SORRY ABOUT THAT!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Come on back tomorrow for another freebie!

Burst of Summer Part 6 Freebie

This is the last of the Burst of Summer kit other than the add on that you can get if you participate in my speed scrap tonight!  I hope you've enjoyed this kit.  I would love to see any layouts or projects you've made with it if you'd like to share.

Here's another look at the add on you'll get at the speed scrap at Pretty Scrappy tonight.  It starts in one hour so hopefully you can be there...we're going to have some fun with our celebrity crushes tonight so bring at least 4 pics of yours with you!  It's going to be HOT HOT HOT!

 

Tonight I'm going to gift you the remaining embellishments to finish off your kit.  These are the flowers and the journaling tags, etc.  A nice way to round it all off.

I'm sorry you've missed the free downloads for this kit.  I will be posting it for sale on Monday, June 15 here on my blog.  If you'd like to have it, please come back then!  Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for all the downloads and for those of you who have taken the time to say thank you.  I can't tell you how much that means.  Thank you!  Enjoy!

Speed Scrap Tonight! It's going to be HOT!!!

Just thought I would remind everyone that I'm hosting a speed scrap tonight at 6 pm PST, 7pm MST, 8pm CST, 9pm EST at Pretty Scrappy.  You'll find us in the chat room or you can follow along in the challenge forum!  It's going to be HOT HOT HOT!!!

I'll give you a little hint...you're going to want to bring at least 4 pics of your celebrity crush with you tonight.  We're going to have a little fun!  It's time for a new hottie page to grace this blog so this is my perfect excuse and I've cooked up a very tasty treat for you if you play along!

So join us for a good time tonight!  See you there!

PS.  Farrah just emailed me and she is adding a $3.00 coupon to the participation package!  WOOHOO!!!  Thank you, Farrah! 

Burst of Summer Add On & Speed Scrap Info

The Speed Scrap will start tomorrow, Saturday, June 13 at 8pm CST at Pretty Scrappy.  You can join us in the chat room or simply follow along in the forum.

This will be your participation prize.  You'll also be getting challenge points for participating!  WOOHOO!!!  See you there!

Burst of Summer Part 5 Freebie

Holy cow!  I almost missed tonight's posting time...in fact, might still be a little late depending on how fast I get this typed.  LOL!

I have been busy working on the add on for this kit that will be the participation prize for tomorrow night's speed scrap at Pretty Scrappy (7pm MST).  I was hoping to have it finished and have a preview ready for you but I had some unexpected company this afternoon so I'm running a wee bit behind.   I promise to come back and post the preview here as soon as I'm finished with it.  I can tell you that there are at least 8 more papers and at least 8 more embellishments too! 

So today, I'm going to gift you part 5.  These are a few of the embellishments that I wanted to add...glitters, fish, alpha, flourishes...just some random goodies.

You can pick them up here on my blog for sale tomorrow at 6!  Thanks so much!

Enjoy! 

ps. Check back in a while and hopefully I'll have the preview for the add on up for your viewing pleasure.

A couple of announcements, layouts & a freebie!

Well, it seems there are big things happening for Trixie Scraps so I thought I'd share the big news with you!  Congrats Tracey!  YOU ROCK!

Want a little sneak peek at the collab kit she and Simply Scraps will be releasing tomorrow?  It's too too cute!

Isn't that exciting?!  Well, how about another exciting announcement in the form of a sale?  Seriously, if you haven't gone shopping yet, what are you waiting for?

Here's a couple of layouts I made with one of Farrah's latest kits called Everyday.

First I had to document our May...it was the craziest month I think we've ever had but it was so fun.  I am thankful for life to slow down now a little just in time for my sister and her family to move here.  At least I'll have some time to get my house in order before she arrives!  LOL!

Credits: Everyday by Farrah's Designer Scraps

And while I was working with this kit, I couldn't resist the corkboard that was in it....love it!  I remember as a kid, my walls were plastered with things that were important to me.  I even covered one of my bedroom windows with black paper and collaged my love for Andy all over it.  LOL!  I was a scrapper then and I didn't even know it! 

Now I'd love to cover Kaylee's wall with a huge canvas and give her some mega strength glue because she makes the most interesting art pieces.  Last night she made me a princess wand out of a broken plastic spoon handle (which she covered with a broken balloon so that it wouldn't hurt my hand), a piece of wax paper that she cut into a circle then drew a pic of me on.  She glued this to the top of the broken handle and then added four princess stickers to the edges.  To top this awesome creation off, she picked some flowers from our hawthorne tree and glued them to fill in where the stickers didn't cover the paper.  So awesome! (I'll have to take a pic)  I would love to see what she could do with a wall over time.  But I want it to be something she could take with her if we moved at some point so I'll have to figure out a cool way for her to do just that.

Anyway, back to the cork board.  LOL!  I thought it would be fun to make a page look kind of random like a corkboard would if I were to add things to it.

Credits: Everyday by Farrah's Designer Scraps

And then, I decided to make you a freebie QP with this kit as well.  It's a little tropical...I hope you enjoy!

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download the QP here until next Friday.

I'll be back at 6 with the latest installment of Burst of Summer...only two more days to go and you'll have the full kit and if you come to the Speed Scrap on Saturday at Pretty Scrappy at 7pm MST, you may get even more!  LOL!

Burst of Summer Part 4 Freebie

Holy smokes!  I can't believe it's already Thursday!  I have a lot to still get finished this week and it's flying by so fast!  You may have noticed that I gave you a QP freebie in the post below...I hope you like it.  I have a couple more ready for you as well...so be on the lookout for some double posting this weekend!

Tonight you're getting part 4 of Burst of Summer.  I can't tell you enough how much fun I had making this kit.  I am so glad you are enjoying it!  Before I give you the goods, how about another layout?

These are the fasteners...all the little things I love to have in a kit.  Buttons, brads, eyelets, clips, staples....the little things.

If you missed this part of the kit, never fear.  It will be available for purchase on Sunday 6/14 at 6pm MST.

Tomorrow I'll show you the little goodie I'll be giving away to participants of the speed scrap I'm hosting Saturday night at 7pm MST at Pretty Scrappy.  It may just coordinate with this kit so you may just want to put the speed scrap in your schedule!  LOL!

Vintage America & A Freebie

A few weeks ago, Jodi aka Throwing Some Scraps Around asked me to chose a color combo for her to make a kit with.  So I chose a color combo I liked and sent it to her.  She asked what kind of feel I wanted and I said something along the lines of vintage american...twills, antiques, patriotic, stars, hearts, family...that kind of thing.

She made the kit and I loved working with it!  It's called Vintage America and it will be on sale this week for just $2.00 after which it will go to $4.00 so grab it this week while it's on sale. 

Want to see what I made with it?

This first page is all about Lexi's independence day.  It hit me really hard the day she decided she was too cool to hang with her family.  I knew she had to grow up but I just wasn't ready for that yet.  So this page is a little about how I took the unexpected news.  LOL!

Credits:  Vintage America by Throwing Some Scraps Around

I know I've scrapped these pics before but I decided to use them anyway...hope you don't mind.  And if you do, so sorry...my blog, my creations!  LOL!

Credits:  Vintage America by Throwing Some Scraps Around

And of course, I couldn't resist making a new QP for you.  I hope you can use it for something...4th of July, Military, Parade, Picnic...I'm thinking it's pretty versatile so I hope you find it to be useful!

You can pick the kit up here.

Sorry this link has expired.

PS...Jodi is organizing a Designer Blog Train to celebrate the upcoming birth of one of my fellow CT Member's new baby...check out her blog if you'd like to get involved!

Burst of Summer Part 3 Freebie

Are you all enjoying this kit so far?  I sure hope so.  I have some new pieces for you again today.  We are halfway through this kit already!

How about another layout?  These pics are from Kaylee's bday party last year.  We had a little bracelet making activity and the girls were all blinged out!

Today I'm going to give you all the trimmings...the ribbons, the stitches, the threads and wraps. 

You can purchase these on Sunday.  The freebie link has expired.

Ps.  The speed scrap at Pretty Scrappy is at 7PM MST on Saturday...I'd love to see you there!  I promise not to make it too hard on you!

Burst of Summer Part 2 Freebie

Are you ready for a little more of Burst of Summer?  Well, you're in luck!  I'm ready to give you a little more.

Here's a new layout for today with this kit...a little Miss Kaylee catching some rays.

Today I'm going to give you the frames.  I seriously love frames.  I know I went way overboard with these because there are 26 frames in this kit but I just couldn't decide which ones I wanted to use so I used them all!  I love frames!!

You can pick them up for sale on Sunday.

Please remember these are for personal use only.  Enjoy!

Ps.  Did you schedule in some time on Saturday for the speed scrap at Pretty Scrappy?  You know you want to!

Burst of Summer Part 1 Freebie

So here's the deal...as part of my CT Challenge at Digital Arts Cafe this month, I chose a set of brushes by Vivayne called Blooming Brushes to work with.  I was able to make up to 10 papers and 10 elements to give away with those brushes so I decided I would do a mini kit.

So I went in search of some color inspiration and the color challenge at Pretty Scrappy this month was so delicious that I decided to go with that.   So I started making a mini kit but then I just couldn't stop!  So I will show you what I made with the brushes and then I will show you the rest of the kit.

Aren't those brushes awesome?!  I seriously could have made a million things with them!

Then, I made up the rest of the kit...14 hours total time went into making the pieces to this kit.  It was awesome and I gladly would have spent another 14 hours making more but I thought 185 pieces was probably more than enough.  LOL!

So here's the deal...I'm going to give you six daily downloads for this kit.  Each day at 6pm MST you can pick up that day's portion of the kit but the portion from the day before will also be taken down at that point.  So if you want it all, you'll need to come back each day and pick it up. 

On Sunday, June 14, I will list the entire kit for sale so if you missed some, you can purchase it then if you'd like. 

Here's a preview of the entire kit...

This is the first of a few layouts I've made with this kit so far.  If you'd like to make some, I'd love to see them!  Just send me a link!

Today I'm going to give you the papers.  There are 17 papers and 1 overlay in these downloads.  I broke them up into smaller downloads so that it didn't take all day to download. 

Download the Pink Papers 

Download the Orange Papers 

Download the Blue Papers 

Download the Yellow Papers 

Download the White Papers

I'm sorry these links have expired.  Please come back on Sunday, June 14, 2009 to purchase them if you'd like to have them.

Remember these are for personal use only and will only be available until Tuesday at 6pm MST.  Thanks & Enjoy!

Ps.  I'll be hosting a Speed Scrap at Pretty Scrappy on Saturday and I might just have a little more to add to this kit that you will get as a bonus for playing along!

A Few Pages & A Freebie

I have a few things to show you today but not many because I spent most of my weekend making a new kit to share with you!  Yep, I tried my hand at designing again and ended up with a 185 pc kit that I'll be sharing with you this week.  I'll be back later to tell you a little more about...check in around 6 MST for more.

So, let's see...where to start this morning.  This weekend was good.  Andy was off all weekend so we did some things around the house, took a walk or two, went to the lake, went to the trap shoot, played video games until the wee hours and then slept in this morning.  It was just what a weekend should be...full of family fun and relaxation.

So how about some layouts?  Yesterday I decided to check out some of the challenges at Pretty Scrappy and that lead to a couple of layouts.  This first layout is for the Shaken & Stirred Challenge.  This challenge was to create a summer themed avatar for the forum...so I made my self a new little avatar with my new kit.

Credits: Burst of Summer by Wendy Tunison

Then since that was so easy, I decided to tackle another challenge so I tried my hand at the Plan Your Garden Challenge.  In this challenge you receive a set of shapes and you create a layout template (which everyone that participates will receive) and then create a layout with your template.  So here is my template and my layout.  This is one of Jamie's little boys and her nephew...love this pic!

Credits:  Whisper Softly by Tricia Curtis Designs

I also decided to do the Pick Your Hues Color Challenge which resulted in the kit I'll be bringing you a little later today.  In this challenge you take the colors the host chose and create a layout or a mini kit with it...well, mine didn't end up being very mini...I loved these colors!  Here's a little peek at what's coming this week.

Then, since I was in challenge mode, I decided to tackle the Gardening Trends & Techniques Challenge.  This month, the challenge is to use a photo mask...no problem...right?  Well, for some reason, my brain doesn't work that way but in the end, I did it and I like it.  LOL!  This is Miss Izzy and her little cousin.  I walked in on them just laying on the bed giggling up at the ceiling and couldn't help but snap a pic!

Credits:  The Happy BDay Kit by Stacey Crossley Designs

And I had time to squeeze in one more challenge so I also did the Gardener's Pick Challenge.  This is a scraplift challenge which I always find very difficult to do.  I did it though and it turned out pretty cute.  I love this pic of Izzy & Andy...so sweet and quiet (which is rare for both of them...lol!)

Credits:  The Happy BDay Kit by Stacey Crossley Designs

Here are a few more pages I made this week as well...

Credits:  Boho Rhythm by Just Passin Thru

Credits:  Boho Rhythm by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  My Baby Girl by CZNY Designs

Credits:  My Baby Girl by CZNY Designs

And now for your freebie.  A little something from Stacey's new kit The Happy BDay Kit just for you.

You can pick the kit up here.

You can pick the QP up here until June 15, 2009.

Enjoy and come back around 6 MST for the first part of my new kit!

Gopher Hunting ( ... Not for the weak stomach!) & A Freebie

So...if you have a weak stomach...skip this post...it's hunting related and if that's not your lifestyle, you may want to skip this.

We like to do a little gopher hunting around here.  Everyone refers to it as target practice because there are so many and it's a lot of fun for us to try to hit as many as we can.  Last year we decided to let the girls do a little gopher hunting as well.  Lexi shot and shot and shot and missed and missed and missed.  And then it happened.  Her aim was true and she killed her first gopher!  She was thrilled and couldn't wait to go get it and show it off. 

Credits:  Sighted In by Digital Scrap Fun

Then when we were getting ready to go home, we spotted one last gopher and Andy wanted me to try to get a picture of the bullet impact so he could see it up close.  Yes, we are a gruesome bunch but it's part of our lifestyle so it doesn't seem gruesome to us.  So I got my camera ready as he sighted in on the gopher.  And I started to click away as he took aim.  The resulting shot was pretty cool.

Credits:  Sighted In by Digital Scrap Fun

Now I know that many of my local friends are hunters or have hunters in their families so I also made up a QP with this kit just for you!

This kit will only be available for one week so get it quickly if you want it.  You can pick it up here.

You can download the QP here.

Enjoy!

PS...Jeanne....I so remember 21 Jump Street...loved that show!

A Hottie and a Freebie...what more could you ask for?

I promised you a hottie so I thought I better deliver.  LOL!  Tracy is on Farrah's CT Team with me and she sent me a pic of Johnny Depp for inspiration so I thought I'd make up a page for her with her man on it.  LOL!

Credits:  Zephyr by Throwing Some Scraps Around

As I was going through some older photos I found these pics of Izzy's first haircut on her 1st birthday.  She didn't have much back then but it was pretty yucko on the ends so I gave her a little trim (don't tell Tammy!  LOL!) and snapped a few pics.  You would never believe that this girl started her life out with reddish blonde locks that were thin and straight!  Now she is a toe-head blonde with curls and body everywhere...love her hair.  I'm more than just a little jealous of her beautiful head of hair.   But here's a then and now for you to see for yourself.

Credits:  Zephyr by Throwing Some Scraps Around

While I was working with Jodi's new kit Zephyr, I also decided to make a QP for you.

You can pick the kit up here.  It's on sale for just $1.75 right now too!

You can download this QP here until June 11, 2009.

If you come back tomorrow, bring a strong stomach...Crystal is getting ready to release a kit called Sighted In and I've got gopher hunting pics to share as well as a freebie.  If you've got a weak stomach...might want to skip the layouts!  LOL!

A Few Layouts and a Freebie QP

It's been kind of interesting lately the number of HS friends I've been contacted by.  I love getting to know what they've been up to for the past 14 years since we graduated and I moved away.  There are several friends that are very much just like they were in HS and then there are some that have changed so much I hardly recognize them by their looks or the conversations we've had. 

All in all, I've really really enjoyed catching up with these long lost friends.  Imagine a time before we had internet...would I have ever talked to them again?  Something to think about today.  I am so thankful we have the ability to carry on relationships online.  I have cousins and friends all over the US and it is so wonderful to get to see their new pics and hear what's happening in their daily lives.  It's so much better than a Christmas Letter.  LOL!

Anyway, this first page was prompted by one of those conversations.  I have a friend that I went to grade school with and she and I have been chatting a little lately and she asked why I don't have me in my layouts.  Honestly...I'm the one behind the camera all the time.  So she asked me to take a pic of me now and post it so she could see what I look like today...it's been about 15 years since I have seen this friend so she was in for a shock.  LOL!

So Lexi and I went to the backyard the other day when everyone else was gone fishing and she snapped a couple of pics of me.  I have to say that I kinda like what we came out with.  Of course I was getting ready to do a CTMH party so I was dressier than usual but that's okay...the pictures turned out alright and I was happy with that.

So I made a page with one of the pics and a few thoughts about my life at 32.

Credits:  Thursday's Child by Stacey Crossley Designs and Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Then I decided to do a little then and now just for fun.

Credits:  Thursday's Child by Stacey Crossley Designs and Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

And then because I happen to love working with this kit, I made a QP for you and I also made 4 for the designers to add to their QP album they will be offering for sale a little later on.  These are the 4 I made for them.  You'll have to wait a little bit longer for yours.

Credits:  Thursday's Child by Stacey Crossley Designs and Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Teri also released another kit recently called Bullfrogs & Butterflies and I couldn't help but scrap these pics of Izzy's little friend, Bradley and his cousin doing the boy thing.  They were throwing, stomping, licking and eating dirt!  It was so hilarious and as I watched them I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Credits:  Bullfrogs & Butterflies by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

I also wanted to do a girly page with this kit so I scrapped these pics of Lexi doing the long jump this year.  I could not believe how a little coaching from her dad helped her improve her distance this year.  Last year her longest jump was 4' 8" and this year it was 6' 1"!  I am so proud of her for working hard to reach that distance.  What a jumper!

Credits:  Bullfrogs & Butterflies by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

And finally...here is the QP I made to share with you from Thursday's Child.

You can pick up the kit here.

You can download this QP here until June 10, 2009.  Enjoy!

ps.  I had a request to do a hottie page so you'll have to come back tomorrow to see that!  I'll also have another QP for you at that point.

Some pages, announcements, coupons and a freebie...grab a cup!!

This post is loaded so grab a cup and put your feet up for a minute.

Let's see...where to start?  How about with Pretty Scrappy's new collab for this month?  It's so stinkin' cute! Wanna see?

You can pick it up here and if you use the coupon code SunnyFun you'll get $2.00 off through June 30, 2009.  And as a little bonus when you buy the collab you'll receive these QPs for free!  I made a couple of these so you know you want them.  LOL!  Just kidding!  But really...aren't they fabulous?  The QP Team at Pretty Scrappy is pretty awesome!

And since I'm in the mood to tell you about some coupons...how about another?  This one is good for Stacey's new kit Escape.   You can see a couple of the layouts I made with it here (scroll to the bottom of the post).  You can pick the kit up here.

And if you're in the mood to shop, be sure to check out Farrah's sale!  She is selling everything in her store for just $2.00 each!  That's awesome!  As I said last week, her kits are simply beautifully detailed and full of texture.  You'll for sure find something there to please you.  And she has CU items up for grabs too!  I know I'll be picking up a few of those! 

Want to see what I made with one of her kits this weekend?  Well, if not, I apologize.  I'm gonna show you anyway!

This is my brother Mark during a fishing trip last summer.  He forgot to bring his shoes with him so the poor boy was stuck in cowboy boots and budweiser swim trunks...now that's a fashion statement if I ever saw one!  LOL!

Credits:  All Boy by Farrah's Designer Scraps

On that same fishing trip Lexi discovered Missouri clay and couldn't help but get her hands dirty!  I love that she is such a tomboy...makes this mama happy!

Credits:  All Boy by Farrah's Designer Scraps

In April we had our annual Spring Crop and we had a ball just like we always do.  I was so bummed that my mom and Nina couldn't make it for this crop but sometimes that is just the way life goes.  Next time I'll clear it with them first!  LOL!  Aren't these a great lookin' bunch of ladies?!

Credits:  Let's Fly A Kite by Just Passin' Thru

Kaylee played her last game of softball for this season last night and I have to brag a little and just say that she rocks!  She has such natural abilities when it comes to sports and I really am just in awe at how quickly she picks things up.  Softball is definitely her game and even though she took a ball to the face last night, she still got back out there and played some more.  She ran with one shoe on and slid and tagged out 2 runners at home plate last night.  She is awesome!  This is her team from this year.

Credits:  Let's Fly A Kite by Just Passin Thru

Last August my friend, Jamie, introduced me to a much closer swimming hole for my kids and I  and for that I am forever grateful!  LOL!   I managed to snap just a few photos that day (like 500+) because it's such a great place for textural photos...ok and for pics of the kids too!   These are a few from that day...

Credits:  Give A Hoot by Heavenly Scraps

Credits:  Give A Hoot by Heavenly Scraps

I think my mom and my niece have this beautiful bond...I was looking through the pics from my sister's computer the other day and found these and just thought they needed a page to go with them!

Credits:  Family Ties by Trixie Scraps

And then I thought I'd scrap about how I had wanted all boys for children...no such luck...I got all girls instead!  LOL!  Someone up there has a sense of humor!  Of course now that they're mine, I won't be returning them!  I can't imagine having a house full of boys now!

Credits:  Family Ties by Trixie Scraps

Now how about a freebie?  I guess after all that reading you deserve one today!  LOL!  So how about a boy page?  I don't do those very often but I knew I had to when I opened up All Boy by Farrah's Designer Scraps! 

Don't forget...everything in her store is on sale this month for just $2.00! 

You can pick up your QP here.  Enjoy!

ps.  If you come back tomorrow...I'll have a special treat for you!

Lexi's 5th Grade Memories Mini Book

Man, where does the time go?  It seems like I have been saying this all month but I am so stinkin' busy lately!  We are down to our last two days of school and I can't wait for summer to get here.  I plan to spend the first two weeks of summer vacation simply getting my house back in order and creating some kind of semi-normal schedule for our family.   There are so many projects that haven't been finished this spring that need to get done.  I think we started switching Lexi and Izzy's bedrooms around in January and we still haven't finished.  It's crazy. 

I know I need to tackle the girls' bedroom upstairs and do some serious cleaning out all over the house.  I can't believe the amount of junk that piles into our house in a year's time.  Where does it all come from?  We do a clean out of the girls' room at least once a year and every year we throw away a couple of leaf bags of broken toys, trashed clothing, etc.  And then we make them go through their things and we donate at least another 3 to 6 leaf bags full of toys to the local police department or churches.  It's crazy!  It's looking like we are going to do it again this year...next week!

But enough about what is making me crazy today.  LOL!  Izzy and I got up and went for a nice hike this morning with a friend of ours and it felt good to be out there just enjoying the day.  Andy and I use to do that all the time before we had kids but when we had to carry kids and diaper bags and strollers and everything with us, we kind of lost interest in doing it together.  He still hikes all the time but until last fall I didn't really go out and do it anymore.  Now Izzy is big enough to walk a while on her own so we get to go out exploring every now and then.  It just feels good to do that.

I haven't had much time to create this past week but I thought I'd show you a few things I've finished.

First of all, I'm hosting a challenge at Pretty Scrappy this month that involves making a mini album so if you're feeling up to it...go join in and get your creative juices flowing.  I made my mini album this past Sunday.  I sat down with Lexi and we pulled up the pics we've taken of here at school activities this year and went to work making a 5th Grade album for her.  We started out by using the brag book album Teri is offering made with the kit School's Out 4 Summer.  We simply added our pictures and our journaling on making sure we left plent of room for binding and adding some extra embellishments after we were done printing it out. 

So we made 26 pages and then printed them out 5x7 on regular photo paper.  Then I put Andy to work cutting out 13 pieces of 5x7 chipboard to go with it.  While he was doing that, Lexi and I chose the embellishments and got them attached to the photo pages.  Then we simply glued the pages to the chipboard (one on front, one on back with chipboard in the middle) and filed away the edges so it was a nice smooth finish.   I popped them into my bind-it-all and bound them together.  Of course we added a little ribbon to complete the book and voila!  Her 5th grade highlights are scrapped in 3 hours!  WOOHOO!

So you want to see it?

These are the digi pages we made up...keep in mind that there are some blank spots that we later filled with embellishments.

Now if I can do it, you can do it!  Go sign up and make a mini for you!

Ok...I was going to add more to this post but now I think I'll retitle it and send it to you.  Come back later and I'll post again today.  A twofer!  LOL!

Changes

Recently my sister decided she wanted to move to Troy.  I am excited for her and excited to have my family closer.    While they were here doing job interviews and looking at property, I snapped a few pics and decided to scrap them yesterday.

This first picture just made me smile.  We were walking over to the post office and I couldn't help but snap this photo of her and her children.  Isn't it just sweet?  I find it hard to believe that she is already a mom and at that, a mom to 2 beautiful kids.  It seems only yesterday that she was the rebellious 16 yr old that was sneaking out and partying.  Life goes by too fast.

Credits:  Minty Blues by Throwing Some Scraps Around

While they were here, they looked at some property and it was so beautiful. 

Credits:  Minty Blues by Throwing Some Scraps Around

I also scrapped a few more pics from Lexi's field trip last week.  Did I mention that I love seeing her in nature?  She really is just home there and I love that part of her so much!

Credits: Urban Primitive by Just Passin' Thru

I also caught a couple of good pics of the river as we walked over it so I thought I'd scrap them as well.  I just love the river...so peaceful.

Credits:  Urban Primitive by Just Passin' Thru

Have a wonderful day.  I have a CTMH party to go get ready for so I'll catch you all later.

My Hero & Boy Template Freebie!

Farrah's Designer Scraps recently released a couple of new kits and a CU template that I just loved to work with! 

The kit is called My Hero and if you have a Guitar Hero in your family...it's a must.  If you just like a fun funky kit... it's a must!  I had a ball with it and will probably be doing more with it soon!

Izzy has loved the song So What by Pink for quite some time.  She loves to sing it and she really rocks it out so I thought a page about it would be necessary.  Just look at that girls hair flyin' out!  She rocks!

Credits:  My Hero by Farrah's Designer Scraps

Then after chatting with someone who knew me back in the day, I was inspired to create this layout. 

Credits:  My Hero by Farrah's Designer Scraps

But before I created any layouts, I couldn't resist playing with her new Boy Templates with this kit.  So I made two little rocker dudes for you! 

Aren't they stinkin' cute!?  I had a blast dressing these little guys.  I hope you'll enjoy using them!

You can pick up My Hero here.

You can pick up the Boy Templates here.

You can download the two rocker dudes I made here.  Please remember they are for personal use only.  Thanks!

Enjoy!