Inkin' & Thinkin'

Is July Over Yet? How about a freebie too?

I am so over this month it's not even funny!  I have really been struggling this month personally and it's time for it to be over.  The month started out with some devastating news from my sister that really just sucked everything right out of me.  I had no desire to do anything and being creative just wasn't happening at all.

I also quit my job this month after really struggling with some things that happened months ago.  I have to say that this was one of the hardest decisions I ever made but one that had to happen for my family's sake.  So bring on the extra stresses of less income accompanied with Andy's cut in wages due to a job change and well...that can just make you a little stressed. 

Then I had a wonderful visit from a friend from High School over the 4th and that left me feeling very tired...staying up all night chatting and then all day exploring takes a lot out of a girl!  LOL!  But it was so good and so worth it!

Then once I was rested from that, I went for a hike with Jamie and Dana and their family into the most beautiful place and ended up breaking my tailbone.  Not good.  So I've spent the last week swallowing pain pills and feeling like crap but the hike was totally worth it! 

Then this past weekend we went to the lake with Denver and Anita and spent the day just peacefully watching the kids swim and enjoying ourselves.  The next morning I woke up sicker than sick...throwing up, shaking, shivering, hot flashing, dizzy.  It was not good. 

Yesterday was Kaylee's birthday and we didn't do a whole lot because I was still feeling pretty crappy.  But her birthday party is on Thursday so now I need to get everything ready for that! 

Then on Friday or Saturday my parents are coming for a visit for a week.  If ever there was a time when I needed my mommy, this just may be it!  LOL!  So I am excited for them to get here.   

So....needless to say I haven't really done much creatively this month at all.  I just have not had the energy or the desire to create.  But I do have a few things that I worked on either late last month or actually accomplished this month so I thought I would share them with you.

Credits:  Patriotic Pride by Trixie Scraps

Credits:  Weekend Getaway 2 by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  June Inspiration Lane Collab

Credits:  Head In The Clouds by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  Our Heritage Collab by Digi Scrap Station Designers

Credits:  Just Beachy By Scrappy Shannon

Credits:  Oh Em Gee! by simply.scraps

Credits:  So Very Shy by Throwing Some Scraps Around

Credits:  It's A Date Page Kit by Heavenly Scraps

Credits:  A whole lot of this and that...sorry...not a clue.

Credits:  Robert by Trixie Scraps & Staying In Shape by simply.scraps

Credits:  Yankee Doodle Dandy by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  Oh Em Gee! by simply.scraps

Credits:  Yankee Doodle Dandy by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  Something's Fishy by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  Something's Fishy by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  It's A Date Page Kit by Heavenly Scraps

Credits:  Patriotic Pride by Trixie Scraps

Credits:  Robert by Trixie Scraps & Staying In Shape by simply.scraps

Credits:  Home Improvement by Kathy Scraps

Credits:  Home Improvement by Kathy Scraps

Credits:  Head In The Clouds by Just Passin' Thru

Credits:  June Inspiration Lane Collab

Credits:  Another that has a lot of this and that

Credits:  Our Heritage by DigiScrapStation's Design Team

Credits:  another with some of this and some of that

Credits:  Weekend Getaway 2 by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

Credits:  Funk-a-licious Mega Collab by Pretty Scrappy & Friday's Child by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs and Stacey Crossley Designs

This last layout is part of a contest I'm participating in for the next 4 weeks at DSA.  If you would take the time to go and vote, I would appreciate it so much.  I am part of the Store Team for Pretty Scrappy and we are called the Busy Bees.  You'll need to register in the forum in order to vote but if you'd take the time, our team would appreciate it!  We are working hard to be the best!

And finally since you made it this far into my blabbering, how about a freebie? 

A little something for the guys!

You can pick the kit up here.

You can grab the QP here for the next week. Enjoy!

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!

A Few Announcments, a Few Layouts and a Freebie!

My sister called me around noon today to let me know that I hadn't blogged today and that looked a little funny since I said yesterday that there was more to come. 

Doesn't she know it's Saturday and that means you get to sleep in?  LOL!  So anyway, here I am mid afternoon blogging a little just for you and her.

First of all, it's Memorial Day weekend so there are specials and sales going on all over the place.  Here are just a few that I thought blog worthy...

You may remember that this is where I had my pages printed and I was over the top excited about the quality prints I received back from them...definitely worth spending your pennies there!

Remember how I hinted earlier this week that Pretty Scrappy would have some new designers and that they'd knock your socks off?  Well...here's the official announcement...

Well, with the closing of Digital Candy, Trixie Scraps along with several other designers there had to find a new store to call home and Tracy found Inspiration Lane and she's having a sale to kick things off at her new store.

And she is also participating in a blog train...here's her part...be sure to check out her blog for the entire list of participants.

Now that you've seen some of the goings on for this weekend, I'll show you a few things I've been working on lately.  Maybe you'll find some inspiration.

I spent an entire day with Kaylee's 2nd Grade class this past week and we had a great time exploring so many places together!  One of the places we made a pit stop was at Sandpoint Beach and ever since Lexi got to have her picture taken with the Statue of Liberty there last year, Kaylee has been begging to get her picture taken there as well.  So of course this was the perfect opportunity to do it.

Credits: Beautiful by Delicious Scraps

We also went to the Carrousel in Spokane and there were so many big smiles to be found there!

Credits:  Beautiful by Delicious Scraps

Throwing Some Scraps Around released a new kit this past week called Watermelon Daze so of course I had to create a couple of pages! 

This first page is all about sweet Kaylee.  She was such a beautiful baby and she still is such a sweet beautiful girl today.

Credits: Watermelon Daze by Throwing Some Scraps Around

This is an Izzy birth moment...a beautiful and sad day for me.

Credits:  Watermelon Daze by Throwing Some Scraps Around

Then I decided to make a second page to go with the layout I had created earlier this week with a photo of the girls in Lexi's class..this time I included the whole class and another quote I liked for them.

Credits: Starlight by Sherry's Scraps

Then I decided to reach into my heritage photos and do a couple of them as well.  This first page is my Grandma O'Brien's Confirmation class and I was able to include the handwritten notes she had written and tucked in with the photo.  Love that!

Credits:  Just Jo by Ambowife Designs

And then I stumbled across this pic of my mom with her older brother and I couldn't help but love the look on her face.  It's so obvious that she is proud of him and that she adores him in this photo.  After all, just check out that stringer of fish!  Why wouldn't she be?!

Credits: Just Jo by Ambowife Designs

And then last night I was trying to sneak in another layout before I went to bed and was able to finish this layout of Lexi on her field trip last week. 

Credits:  Escape by Stacey Crossley Designs

And while I was working with this kit, Kaylee wandered over and just fell in love with this kit and begged to make a page so I reluctantly turned my computer over to her and watched a movie with Andy while she created this page.

Credits: Escape by Stacey Crossley Designs

Didn't she do a great job?  I love her art...she is so fun to watch create.

Then since I left that kit open last night, I decided to do another layout with it today before I blogged.  No point in closing it when it was screaming for me to work with it again!  LOL!  So I created this layout about our family.  Just some candid and imperfect photos of us.

Credits:  Escape by Stacey Crossley Designs

And finally, I bring you your freebie for today...it's a QP made with Blissful Moments a new collab created by Creations By Rachael & Armina.  I really love the textures in this kit...so beautiful!

You can pick the kit up here at Pretty Scrappy.

You can download your QP here until May 30, 2009.

Enjoy!

How Does Your Garden Grow? and a Freebie

Another thing that has kept me busy lately was that my sister and her family came to visit me.  YEAH!  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed having her family here.  Of course it could have nothing to do with the fact that I think her two kids hung the moon!  I really love being their aunt and cannot imagine a more perfect niece and nephew anywhere in the world!

So of course I scrapped them.  I'll show you my niece today and my nephew a little later on in the week.  Here she is in all her beautiful glory!  Is she not the cutest thing?!

Credits:  How Does Your Garden Grow? by Farrah's Designer Scraps

I also scrapped one of the girls on our softball team.  I just love this girl.  She is such an amazing person and our private little joke is that we have bootie power.  She simply rocks and I'm so thrilled to get to be her coach this year.

Credits:  How Does Your Garden Grow? by Farrah's Designer Scraps

I also had time to scrap one single layout yesterday so I thought I'd share it as well.  I snapped this pic of Lexi and her classmates last week when I went on a field trip with them.  It was so fun to capture them all being goofy and smiling (not an easy thing with preteen girls!).  So I offered them some words of advice...which they'll probably ignore and roll their eyes at.  I know I would have at their age.  LOL!

Credits:  Starlight by Sherry's Scraps

Ok...so I'm off to the salon for a much needed hair cut and brow waxing.  LOL!  But before I go, I thought I'd leave you with a little goodie courtesy of Farrah's Designer Scraps!

You can download it here.

You can pick up this kit at Scrapable and soon at Pretty Scrappy too!  (Love it when my fav designers are at both stores I love!)

PS.  Pretty Scrappy just held a designer's call and you should see some of the designers that will be there soon!  I CAN'T WAIT!

Enjoy!

A Long Awaited Sip of Digi...

So recovering from the crop took a little longer than I thought.  I have been so exhausted lately that I've been going to bed around 8:30 and sleeping until 9:00 am...that's a lot of sleep for me and very unusual.  But apparently I have needed it since I've been falling asleep on the couch before dinner is even ready.  CRAZY!  Couple that with a couple of wonderful migraines this week and well...let's just say I have been less productive than ever!  But I did get a few things finished last week and a few more accomplished at the crop so I thought I would share them.

This is my Aunt Karen as a baby...so stinkin' cute!

Credits:  Days Gone By by Lori Cameron

This is my brother, Steve and I when we were sweet and innocent. 

Credits:  Days Gone By by Lori Cameron

My sister...the wannabe cowgirl.  LOL!  Really this was for a costume party but I think she pulls off the hat quite well!

Credits:  Wild West by Crystal's Designs

My baby brother...the real cowboy.  LOL!  These are a few pics from when he won the big buckle last year for bull riding.  He just rocks!

Credits: Wild West by Crystal's Designs

My girls and their salon days...love them!  Of course, it helps that we have a fabulous stylist to work with!  I usually let the girls die their hair after school is out for the summer.  We usually buy the shampoo out temporary hair color.  Well, last summer, we picked up the wrong box and they were permanently died....so we had to do a little first aid and give them highlights so that they didn't look all greased out on top.  LOL!  Thank goodness for our stylist!

Credits:  Softball Stars by Trixie Scraps

A few pics of Kaylee playing t-ball last year.  She loves baseball!  She gets so focused on the game and I can just see in her face how much she loves this game.  She is pretty awesome at it too so that probably helps! 

Credits:  Softball Stars by Trixie Scraps

A Mother's Day Card I made for a challenge over at Pretty Scrappy last month. 

Credits:  You'll have to check out Pretty Scrappy this weekend to find the pieces to this kit!

I don't know what it is about photos like this that I love but I have a lot of pictures of my girls walking with their daddy.  I love how they're both wearing their camo jackets in this one.  I really love that bond he has with his girls.  I remember when I use to get to walk beside him and hold his hand.  I guess if I had to be replaced, I couldn't have chosen a cuter girl than this!  LOL!

Credits:  Moody Monday by Throwing Some Scraps Around

Lexi's teeth are a sore subject around here.  I am dreading the ortho bills I'm sure we'll be paying.  I am looking forward to her smiling confidently though...that will be the best part and most definitely worth the price!

Credits:  Moody Monday by Throwing Some Scraps Around

I love this photo of Izzy sleeping.  It has hung on my wall for the last 4 years.  She is just so beautifully perfect.

Credits:  Sweet Dreams by Farrah's Creations

Kaylee could not wait to hold Luke for the first time.  She was so thrilled to be the bigger person for a change! 

Credits:  Sweet Dreams by Farrah's Creations

I'm not sure how we came up with this nickname for Izzy but it has stuck and maybe we'll forever call her Monkey Butt...maybe she'll outgrow it...you just never know!

Credits:  My Lil' Monkey by Farrah's Creations

Lexi has such a great imagination for building.  I love to see her latest creations.  She is most definitely one of the reasons I'll never get rid of my legos, tinkertoys and lincoln logs!

Credits:  My Lil' Monkey by Farrah's Creations

I love this picture of Kaylee andIzzy.  I took this while we were on a field trip last year and I was so proud of how Kaylee handled having her little sister along with us.  She is such a sweet child.

Credits:  About A Girl by Designs By Mel

It's so hard to believe that Lexi was this little once.  This was taken at the beginning of her 1st Grade year.  She and her friend were inseperable at Soccer practice and we had a little photo shoot one day...such goofs!

Credits:  The BFF Kit by Stacey Crossley Designs

This photo was taken the same day as the photos on the last layout.  I love this one of the girls just being crazy in the grass.  It's what sisters is all about!

Credits:  The BFF Kit by Stacey Crossley Designs

Another Izzy sleeping photo...I'm telling you...you should see the amount of photos I took during her first month...it's sad!

Credits:  Oh Baby by Designs by Karyn

Just a little proof for future reference that I do the dishes too!   Andy is always saying that I never do but I have just one question for him...where's the proof that he does them?  LOL!

Credits:  Oh Baby by Designs by Karyn

These are a few pictures from the first time I was induced while pregnant with Izzy... she was stubborn but she was worth it!

Credits:  Oh Baby by Designs by Karyn

Last year was my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean...just a few observations.

Credits:  Popsicle Toes by Teri's Thing-O-My-Jigs

I thought I might journal a little about my first trip to Seattle.  I have to admit that even though I love my small town home, I crave the city sometimes and I miss the city sometimes.  This was a treat for me and I loved every minute of it!  LOL!

Credits:  Popsicle Toes by Teri Mayo

My sister and I....I love her so much but I think that we have the same issues all sisters do.  We may be too much alike and that can lead to malfunctions.  LOL!  She is seriously one of my best friends and thank goodness we were born sisters because I probably would have beat her up by now if not!  LOL!  Perhaps someone a little higher up knew that I would need her in my life permanently.

Credits:  Bride To Be by Just Passin' Thru

Believe it or not, Kaylee gave herself this major wedgie.  She thought it was hilarious and Lexi and I could not stop laughing as she hung from the door knob by her underwear.  What a dork...but she is my dork!

Credits:  Bride To Be by Just Passin' Thru

I was looking through photos and thought about how crazy the road has been between these two photos.  In the first photo, I am newly married, pregnant with my first child and blissfully in love with Andy.  In the second photo, I have been married for 6 years, have two children and am pregnant with Izzy and still in love with Andy...although maybe not so blissfully as a new bride.  LOL!  But definitely stronger and better.

Credits:  Pretty by Delicious Scraps

This last layout is pretty personal but I thought I would share anyway.  It's just a few thoughts I have every now and then.

I hope you enjoyed a few minutes away and that something inspired you somehow.  Enjoy your weekend!  I'll be back a little later this weekend with more!

Monday Morning ... Grab A Cup & A Freebie!

Let's see if I can get you all caught up aka me all caught up!  LOL! 

I spent 9 days at my mom's while the kids were on spring break...that meant lots of scanning, cards, food and family!  LOVED IT!

Before I left, I stopped and grabbed the mail and took my netflix movies with me.  One of them was Twilight...this was a bad thing!  I still have not returned it to Netflix 2 weeks later!  I am hooked!  I have watched this movie at least 15 times already and I read the first book in 3 days...well, really, 3 nights and early mornings.  LOL!  I passed up stopping to buy the second book on my way home because I thought I could just get it at the library (budget conscious there).  Well, I was wrong.  When I asked the librarian if I could reserve it and she giggled, I knew I was in trouble!  LOL!  So I did a search online for an inter-library loan and the closest one available was very far away.  I reserved it anyway.  Then my sister picked up the second book for me when she was out of town last week.  Now if only it would come in the mail, I could refuse to get out of bed again until it's finished!  But alas, I sit and wait for it to arrive and torture myself by watching the movie over and over again.  It's so hard to watch Edward...so hard.

While I'm sitting in front of the tv with my feet up, I'm attempting to finish sorting my digi kits and even getting a few pages finished here and there.  Here are a few of them...

Does that not make you hungry and ready for the sunshine?!

If not the food...does this?  These two pages were made with Teri's new kit Are We There Yet?  It's so fun!  LOVE IT!  Check out her blog for a coupon...you know you want it!

I also finished out the March Challenges at Pretty Scrappy which included making a birthday card, a page using certain colors, and a quote challenge.  I love doing challenges.  It really makes me think of new ways to use my kits and definitely makes me get more use out of them!

I used the PS Collab It's My Party for all 3 of these projects.  Don't you just love my parents?  They are awesome!

I tried some new photo editing techniques while working with Stacey's kit The Sugar Shack.  I think I like it.  It's completely different from any look I've done in the past but it's kind of fun and funky.  So I'm keeping it in my notes so I can do it again.

I also got to work with a new-to-me designer this week.  I really like the bright funkiness of her kits so I tried one on for size and I'm happy with the results!  I even won Pick Of The Day at Divine Digital with one of them!  YEAH ME (YILM)!

This kit is called For Henry and the new-to-me designer is Wetfish Designs. 

Can you believe that goose egg?  Makes me cringe!

Scrappin Freestyle released a new MegaKit the other day so I made a couple of layout with it as well.  It's called Just Peachy and just those words brought back a lot of memories.  I remember when my bedroom was peach...I had the coolest peach bedspread and Ranger Tails wallpaper.  I had a frilly pillow sham and the world was hunky dorey!

I also remember when I got my beloved Peaches N' Cream Barbie.  It was the Christmas my brother and I snuck upstairs while my parents were sleeping and checked out our stash from Santa.  I had to go to the bathroom and as soon as he was out of my protective eyesight, he had to fire up his remote control monster truck.  Well, it didn't take long for my dad to flip on the bathroom light and send us promptly to bed with a very stern warning.  We snuck back up again and slept on the stairs until he officially let us out for Christmas morning.  LOL!

But I didn't have pictures of those memories so I used this kit for some new memories.

If you ask me, those two girls are much cuter than any Barbie!

And finally, I'm getting to the freebie...are you still with me?  Or did you skip to the end already and I'm typing for nothing?  LOL! 

Jodi is releasing her newest kit today called Funky Time and that's exactly what it is!  First I'll show you a couple of layouts that I made with it and then you can pick up your freebie.  And if you want to pick up the kit, check out Jodi's blog for an awesome discount!

Now if that face isn't funky I don't know what is?!  She positively scared me with this make up job!  Guess she had a lot to learn at that point!  LOL!

And finally...you can download your freebie QP here.

Enjoy!

A Tranquil Freebie for you!

While I've been visiting with my mom this week, I have had a chance to scan in a lot of photos and memorabilia that I find most exciting!  Each time the scanner motor starts to turn, I get a little more excited that I'm preserving these precious photos.

Jodi had sent me her newest kit to work with and it worked out just perfectly for some of these photos.  Her new kit is called Tranquil and I made a couple of layouts and even a freebie for you with it!

This first layout is from a postcard my Grandma O had written on.  Kind of a sad memory but one that I thought was important to document.

I also used this kit to create my first ever page about my dad's side of the family.  I didn't have any pics from my dad's side of the family until this past week when my mom shared a cd that one of my dad's cousins had sent to her from my Great Aunt's birthday party a few years ago.  So I introduce you to my Grandpa Phillips' sister and her family.

I also scanned a bunch of my mom & dad's photos from his side this week while I was visiting so perhaps you'll get to see a few more from his side in the future.

And lastly I have a QP for you if you'd like to grab it.  You can also pick up the kit at a very special low price this week if you check out Jodi's blog for the information.

You can download my QP Sorry...this link has expired. for the next week. 

Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment if you please.

PS. The link for the Funkalicious Brag Book pages is fixed.  I don't know what the heck happened there but I reloaded it and it's ready to go.

A Little Catch Up...get a big cup! LOL!

Wow!  It's been 2 weeks since my last post and I decided I better post a little something.  I have been so busy the last two weeks with getting my taxes ready and catching up on some real life work that I haven't had much time to be on my computer.  Now I'm visiting my mom until next week so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to be on the computer this week either.    So I will do my best to bring you new goodies all the time but sometimes life gets in the way, ya know?

Here are a few things I've been up to (got your cup?)...

I completed this during a speed scrap at Scrappin Freestyle ... this kit is called Summer's Fun by Ladybug Pages.  These pictures are from 2 years ago and I can't believe how short Izzy's hair is.  She had wanted a turtle drawn for her and her two big sisters got together and made her this turtle.  She spent a very long time walking over every part of it and checking it out.  She is just slightly spoiled!

This page is from the Speed Scrap I hosted last weekend at Pretty Scrappy.  I used their awesome collab called It's My Party for this one.  The second layout is from a speed scrap I participated in over at DDBN forum that same day.  So I decided to just stick with the same pics and kit and make a double layout. 

These are a few pics from Andy's surprise birthday party last summer.  I think he was pretty excited to have his friends and family around him.  Of course he boasted that we couldn't spank him to which his dad and our friend, Dana, quickly turned him upside down and let everyone have a few rounds on his rear!  LOL!  I love times like this when we can spend hours with our friends and family just hanging out laughing and having a good time.

And speaking of Andy, I ran across this pic of him and couldn't help but make a page about it. 

And while I had Heavenly Scrap's kit Hooked On Swimming open I decided to make another page because I just loved the bright fun colors and the crazy elements in it.  So I grabbed a few pics of Izzy on her floatie and went to work.

My friend, Keeli, came over last weekend and we had a little digi time so we were working with some templates and I grabbed a kit from DDBN called Garden Green and created this page about my Grandma O & her best friend, Blanche.  I love the photo on the right.  It is just so beautiful.

I was working with Jodi's kit Pink Sunrise last week and came up with these two layouts.  I loved this photo of Izzy, Kaylee and Makalyn but the background was just yucko...we were waiting for a photo shoot to start last summer and the room we were in wasn't so pretty.  So I extracted the girls out and created this whimsical place for them to be relaxing.

My niece has some amazing facial expressions.  Her mom is quite the drama queen and I think her two kids are walking right in her footsteps.  LOL!  They have the most expressive faces and reactions.  These are just a few of Makalyn's.

Speaking of Jodi's kits...this is her latest kit that is just being released today called Spring Fresh.  I love the colors in this kit!  So beautiful!

This first layout is Makalyn last summer soaking in the sun while we were in Branson.  Just love that little smile.

This is who I think is my Great Grandfather's brother and his wife.  I'm not sure though.  I love their grins in the top photo...I'm sure they must have been up to something!

Sarah challenged us to an insanely difficult for me speed scrap over at DDBN last week and this page is not among my favorites but I thought I'd share it anyway.  We had to choose a photo that was bad and then split some papers, line it with flowers that touched ribbon on both ends....well, let's just say...it was so hard for me!  After seeing her sample layout following her own directions I found that I made it way too difficult for myself.  LOL!

I also participated in a speed scrap over at Digital Candy last week but their server kept crashing in the middle of it so my friend, Manda, and I made up our own rules to finish the layout.  This is how mine turned out.

Then their server came up right before the speed scrap was over so I remade the layout to match their rules in order to submit it.  I used DDBN's kit Formal for this layout and I love how it contrasts with Lexi's picture. 

Just Passin Thru released a new kit this week called Glorious and I couldn't help but make a few layouts with it.  I love this tree and the colors in this kit just made me all happy inside!
This layout is showcasing Kaylee's new obsession...seashells!  She has never been to the ocean but she avidly collects seashells anywhere she can find them.  She has over 300 now and loves to sort them out all the time.

And how could I resist putting these photos of Lexi on this paper?  It's almost as if her dress were made from the same pattern!  She thinks it's an ugly page but I love it! 

Crystal is releasing this kit called Latte Love today and I love the colors she has used to make it!  I love this photo of Kaylee...she is such a great little showcaser!  LOL!

Maybe this kit was made to go with Kaylee's pictures?  These are a few of her Thanksgiving shots from last year.  She is an olive freak!  She loves them!  She also provided the journaling for this page.  She looked at it and told me what to write.  I love that part of scrapbooking digitally.  It's so easy to add the journaling in.

I participated in a speed scrap at Scrappin Freestyle last Friday and we had to use every element in a kit in the middle of the page...every element!  Holy moly!  I really struggle with clusters but when I opened up Designs by Mel's kit Girlicious I knew that all of these bright elements would look great together in the middle of the page!  This kit is probably my favorite from this week...love everything about it!

Teri released a new kit last week called Soccer's A Kick and you know I was all over that one!  I have so many soccer pictures to scrap and this kit was perfect for getting some finished! 

This first layout is all about Kaylee last year.  She gets so competitive (and I love that!) when it comes to soccer.  I loved watching her play and for the first time I got to go to every one of her games!  I am usually coaching Lexi's team at the same time so I miss a lot of Kaylee's games.  Last year I put my foot down and made it a requirement that I be available to be at Kaylee's games too if I were to coach Lexi's team again.  I am so glad I did because she is amazing to watch!

I also had to scrap some pics from Lexi's first year of soccer.  It's so hard to believe that just 5 years ago we started playing soccer and now I can't wait for soccer season to start each year...I am officially a soccer mom and I wear that badge proudly! 

While I was working with this kit I threw together a few quick pages for Teri to add to her kit as well.

And while I was making Quick Pages for Teri I made up a few with her Bee Attitudes kit too.

To get these quick pages you'll have to check at Pretty Scrappy for the details soon.

Speaking of Pretty Scrappy...this was one of the prizes I made up for last week's Speed Scrap.  I used Late Night Scrap's kit Cheryl's Closet to make these brag book pages for it.

I also made a little elements grab bag for the people who posted about the speed scrap on their blog.

This was my final speed scrap from last week.  I used DDBN's kit Life's Like A Box of Chocolates to make this page with Lexi on it.  I expressed to her the importance of remembering what our country means and how she should keep working toward her goals.  I love this photo from last summer.

And finally...a little sneak peak that I'll tell you more about tomorrow...

I hope you enjoyed your Monday afternoon cup o digi.  I will try to be a better blogger.  Be sure to come back tomorrow to see what this sneak peek is all about and maybe just maybe a little goodie too!

Monday Morning...Grab A Cup o' Digi

Do you know what I love about Mondays?  Mondays are my me day.  I rarely get out of bed early, I spend all day in my jammies just hanging out in my house, and it's my day to just do nothing.  I came to that realization last Monday...as garfield would say, "I don't do Mondays."  I don't know when it started, but I think I will be making it a tradition...no life demands are allowed on Monday.  LOL!

Ok...now that you've entered my little world of crazy, would you like to see some things I worked on this weekend?  I spent a couple of days down with the flu this weekend...head hurt throbbed like crazy and I went between sweating to death to being so cold that being bundled up under my electric blanket on the floor beside the wood stove didn't stop the shivering.  It was crazy but I am so glad it's over with just a headache remaining.  I did get a few things finished yesterday after our digi class though so I thought I'd share them. 

Got your drink in hand and your feet up?  Let's get started.

I participated in a speed scrap over at DDBN forum and the rules were a little more difficult for me because of the photos I chose in the first step but in the end I like the page and that's what matters!

step 1: Pick out 1 face shot picture where the person isn't looking directly at the camera, change it to black/white, or sepia, and then crop and resize it 5 different ways for a total of 5 pictures. Stroke all the pictures white or black.

step 2: Pick out only 1 patterned paper and use it as your background.

step 3: Group your pictures (1 pictures cropped 5 different ways) on your paper. They have to touch at least one other picture and one of the pictures has to go off the page.

step 4: Use at least 10 embellishments, same or different. However, 5 of them have to be flowers or flower like and those 5 have to touch your pictures. The rest can be placed wherever you want.

step 5: Use 1 twisted and twirly Ribbon and 2 twisted and twirly Strings. Mix them in with your pictures. These don't count towards your 10.

step 6: Add a sentence of journaling on something (tag, mat, small piece of any shaped paper,etc.) and attach it to a picture with a button. Oh, and the journaling needs to start with the word You or Your. Make it meaningful about the person in the picture.

step 7: Finish up by adding drop shadows and adding anything else you think is needed to make your layout complete. Then upload it to the gallery and it link back to this thread. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes to finish up tonight. Don't forget to leave your love in the gallery!




There will be another speed scrap at DDBN forum on Tuesday at 1PST, 2MST, 3CST, 4EST if you'd like to join us.  It's always a lot of fun to see what you can do with a set of directions!

And Nicole is releasing a funky little kit this week on her blog called Maurice and if you pick it up this week (a new part each day!) you'll get it for free!  Want to know what's even better than that?  She's teamed up with Brittney and they are doing a collab so you get two kits that are made for eachother!  You can pick up Brittney's half on her blog!

Wanna see what it looks like?

Isn't that fun?!

Well, while we're talking about speed scraps, I participated in another one last week but I forgot about it until there was only 20 minutes left!  Talk about panic!  Well, I did get the layout done and on time.  I'm not saying I love it because I definitely could do much better but I was pretty proud of myself for meeting the deadline.  LOL! 

The rules:

1. Pick 4 photos. You can group them any way you please. They must be 4 different photos.
2. Alter one of your photos in some way.
3. You will need 2 papers for the background, one needs to be solid. Position them so that they are both part of the background.
4. Add a piece of ricrac that touches both background papers.
5. Place 4 different elements in the upper right corner.
6. Journal in the upper right corner.
7. Add your title and date to the bottom left corner.

Now I will admit that I didn't save this page beyond the web version.  I want to rework it and do a better job...this just didn't cut it for me but it was fun to get it done in less than 20 minutes!

I worked with Jodi's newest kit called Solitude last week as well.  This is a really somber and quiet kit.  I love how sometimes you get something totally different to work with.  It makes it fun to CT!  Here's a kit preview:

and my layouts:

Relocated Dixie Girl has a great little kit out called All About The Grunge that I was able to put a few layouts together with as well.  I tend to like grunge so this kit was a lot of fun for me.

And while I was working with her kits, I also worked with one called Back To School and I am not sure if it's because I'm so ready for winter to be over or what but I couldn't wait to play with these bright summer colors!

I also made up a couple of quick pages for the March Madness daily give aways over at Scrappin Freestyle's blog with Ladybug Pages' kit called Summer Love.  You'll have to pick them up at SFS blog though and I'm not sure when they'll be available but they are giving away something everyday so it won't hurt to check in there every day!  LOL!

The kit Summer Love

I also made up another freebie from CW Picket and Company's kit called All About Me that I hope you'll like.  This will also be available over at SFSblog sometime this month so you can pick it up there.

The kit

What I made

Teri released a new kit last week that is called BeeAttitudes and it's a fun and silly kit so I had to make some fun and silly pages with it!  LOL!

I also worked with a kit by Sue Wood Designs called Bertie and what a great kit full of rich textures!

And then I worked with what is probably my favorite kit of the weekend and it's called Fresh by Delicious Scraps.  Here are some cool things about this kit...It's on sale this week for $1.00 and if you go to Delicious Scraps blog you can find several freebies that go with it!  I simply love the crisp and fresh feeling of this kit.  I am a big fan of Delicious Scraps and I always love everything she makes so working with her kits is a bit of a treat for me!

And to complete my weekend...literally finished these pages around 12:30 am last night...I worked with Stacey's newest kit called Summertime.  I had so much fun with this kit.  I love the fun primary colors (and I'm not usually a fan of primary colors) in this kit and she added just the right amount of distressing to everything to make it perfect for me!

Well, I hope that gave you enough time to finish your cup o' whatever and that your feet are well rested now.  So check out the links I've given you, grab up all of those freebies and then either get on with your Monday or take a cue from me and relax for the rest of the day...you're already sitting back relaxed...maybe you should just stay there.  LOL! 

My New Favorite kit...Vole au Vent by LilyKay

I saw this kit in Digi Scrap Station's newsletter this week and my heart kinda skipped a beat!  I couldn't wait to get my hands on this kit and play with it.  So I grabbed it up and last night I sat down to play with it.  I started layering and layering and the more I played with this kit, the more I loved it!  It's called Vole au Vent by LilyKay and it is just awesome if you ask me!

Here's a kit preview:

Here's what I made with it...