Here I Go Again...

So have you ever stopped and asked yourself during your busy day to day activities to ponder what is really working about your life and what isn't? Well, I have been feeling so off-kilter lately and I know EXACTLY the reason... lack of creativity! Has it really been two years since I posted here?

To rectify this ailment, I signed up and am in the process of taking Stacy Julian's "Twelve" scrapbooking class. And while I have not been quite as active as I intended, it has sparked my creative awareness and I am ready to re-ignite my passion for all things paper-crafty!

I also re-activated as a Close To My Heart consultant and will be offering classes and workshops in the very near future (stay tuned). I just received some AWESOME new product and cannot wait to start playing!

In the meantime, my first layout in quite some time is this one. Can I just say how excited I am that I even did one page?

Long time no post!

Cannot believe how long it's been since I've posted on here. My dad fell and broke his neck last July and life just kinda got away ever since. He is fine now, although wheelchair bound for the most part. At 86, he is doing VERY well!

Going to try to post more often. Made a couple cards recently. LOVING my new MS punch!

This card uses one of my favorite new CTMH stamp sets - Piece of Cake!




And of course, how could you ever grow tired of CTMH You're A Hoot stamps?

Cheers...

A birthday card for a friend (my husband's best beer buddy)!




The stickles on the froth look much better IRL...

Father's Day Cards

Made two cards, both using paper from DCWV Stack 6. This first one is for my dad, with CTMH stamp set Bird Basics:

And this one is for my hubby from me and my two kids (hence the 3 owls), using same paper and CTMH You're A Hoot. The inside sentiment is the one from the card above. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE both of these little birdy sets!

You're A Hoot

This layout was for a one page 12x12 swap using new items from the CTMH Summer Idea Book. I used the new Animal Cookies papers and the adorable You're A Hoot stamp set. FUN! I had the perfect pictures to go with the papers (don't we always???)!



The colors are so much more vibrant IRL... Oh well.

And oh yeah, these photos were taken 10 years ago! DS was 2.5. He's now 12.5. YIKES!

Year of Memories Swaps

I participated in 2 swaps for a Year of Memories scrapbook. I chose December for the 6x6 size and February for the 9x9. This was a fun swap and well worth the effort to get back a whole year of double layouts in two sizes!

6x6 December:

9x9 February::

Now to add some pictures! Would make a great gift, no?

Yet another twinchie...

Another twinchie for another swap. One day I am actually going to USE these on something!

Easter Sunday/Megan's Birthday

Well, it happened again. Megan's birthday came on Easter Sunday. We went to brunch at Brio (of course). Having a birthday on any Sunday only means you get to celebrate for 3 days - it turns into a weekend affair!

Here we are: Megan, Scott, me and Ryan...

Of course, Jim took the picture, so we don't have a complete family portrait.

Finally, a new post!

I don't know how I let so much time get by without a post. I wish I could post wonderful artwork everyday like some do. However, my life is much too full with 3 kids each playing 2 different sports right now. And so, I will add my latest piece, a "twinchie" for a swap I am in. I am in several more swaps, so hopefully I will be adding more soon!

I used my cricut to make the basket and eggs. My DH gave me large set of Prismacolor markers for Christmas, so I finally broke them out. (I cannot see spending the money for the Copics!) I added some Stickles on the eggs....

Horse Scrapbook

I recently completed a custom scrapbook for a friend. Her daughter has been a horse lover since birth, and she gave it to her for her 15th birthday last week. This scrapbook takes her from baby (1994) to 2006, including her first pony Madeline...

Title page:

The rest of the pages are chronological...

Click on any image to view it larger!

Horse Scrapbook Part 2

More pages....

Horse Scrapbook Part 3

Last 5 pages....

Rock n Roll !

I gave my DD (Megan - almost 15) an early Christmas present... a ticket (to go with us) to see AC/DC in concert. How we kept it a secret for two months is beyond belief. Even her little brother didn't spill the beans!

Anyhoo, I let her open one gift "early" and here it is. I made her a PAPER BAG BOOK in which the tickets were tucked in the flap of the last page. SHE LOVED IT! Almost as much as she loved the concert....

Nevermind I couldn't hear much out of my left ear for three days after the show, or that there will probably always be slight ringing there, too. I have seen MANY concerts (ok, mostly back in the 70s) but this show was BY FAR the best rock n roll concert I have ever witnessed. Let there be rock, indeed!

AC/DC concert...

And a few pix from the show...

Angus Young is unbelievable...

DD happy to be there!

Altered wood frame

Unfinished wood frame becomes cute gift for anyone!

Snowman candle

I guess I'm just in the mood for some COLD weather here in Florida with all these snowmen!

Stamped on tissue paper, colored with markers, wrapped tightly with wax paper while "melting" to candle with heat gun...

And here's another cute little snowman ornament made from the leftover tins from my Advent calendar. I just love those little snowman in the Snow Friends stamp set from CTMH...

Using those inchies/twinchies

Some of these inchies and twinchies came from swaps I was in. So why not put them to use? I found these adorable 3x3 notecard sets at Michaels and thought they needed a little sprucing up. I don't know who made some of these inchies as there were no names on them, except for mine and the little present inchie from Tammy Tozer...

You'll have to click on the photo to see them better.