May project kit-"just for me"

This is something I have wanted to make for myself for a long time - and I am so glad I am able to have it as a project kit. This mini album/art journal is a place to store your creative thoughts and inspiration, a collection of quotes and letters to promote your self worth. A place to write down your goals and reflect on them.
I have days (don't we all) that I feel down, or I doubt my ability as a mother, wife or artist. I wanted a place I could store all those uplifting quotes, notes and letters that my friends and family have sent me. And because being creative is such a part of who I am I wanted my album/journal to have a place to store sketches or bits and pieces of inspiration, pages to just try out ideas, to "play". Just thinking about creative ideas and projects always makes me feel energized and refreshed.
This album has three tabbed sections: My Art, My Worth and My Goals. Each section will have finished pages and assignments for you to do, as well as some blank pages so you can truly make it your own. The idea is to fill this album with positive creativity - whatever that means to you. It is almost like a "class in a kit".
The kit goes up for sale May 1st at Cocoa Daisy

WOW!

I am by no means a photographer (I will leave the great photography to my friend Greta) and I have no desire to learn all about the ins and outs of using a high end camera (maybe someday when I have more time) but right now I just like a nice zoom lens and a sunny day! I snap a lot of photos and will usually get a couple good ones, but the other day as I was reviewing some pics I came across this one, and I had to stop and stare. This is just one of those pictures that you only come across once in awhile - especially where a 2 year old is concerned! I love finding these treasures when I go through a new set of photos.


I will post pics of the May project kit tonight! Have a great Sunday everyone!

Wednesday randomness

Just some random thoughts and pics for the day.

I bought this shirt because I knew Greg would love it, but I think it is even better when you add a "Y" on the end :-P


My latest scrap supply addiction, I can't get enough of these, they make it so easy to add some layers and texture to your layouts.


It is officially spring, I found the perfect spring Starbucks tumbler (I have started to collect them - one for each holiday/season, I blame Amber for this!) and it was warm enough today for an Iced coffee- woo hoo!!


Finally, a fun layout I did for the Cocoa Daisy Newsletter:


Have a wonderful Wednesday!

A fun contest!

Amber told me about a fun contest starting at Addicted Scrappers, I am late in posting this but you still have a couple hours to register for it! Here is the info:

LAST SCRAP ADDICT STANDING Contest

So.... you think you can scrap?
Think you are the ultimate scrap addict?
Think you can outscrap your opponents to be the last scrap addict standing??

Then come join us at Addicted Scrappers for our biggest contest ever!! This will push your scrapping talent to the limit! Each week, you will be issued a challenge. These might be sketch challenges, ad-inspired challenges, or product challenges, whatever we can create to stretch your creativity! Your job will be to complete the challenge and upload your creation by the deadline the following week. Our design team and owners will vote and those left standing will move on to the next round. We will continue until we have only one left who will earn the title of being the "LAST SCRAP ADDICT STANDING"!!


DETAILS:

The contest will begin Tuesday, April 22 and end June 21.

This is a 10 week contest and you will need to complete each challenge each week in order to move to the next round. Depending on how many players we have participate will determine how many are eliminated each week. We will announce the elimination details after our first round.

There will also be occasional short bonus challenges randomly spaced throughout the contest which will award players immunity and a guarantee of moving onto the next round. Check into the message boards often to stay updated on these challenges.


REQUIREMENTS:

In order to participate in the contest, you simply need to sign up at Addicted Scrappers. (www.addictedscrappers.com) and submit one of your favorite layouts. This needs to be newly made within the last three months. Upload it to the gallery under Challenges- Last Scrap Addict Standing. This is your first challenge and your "audition"!!

Once you have your first challenge uploaded, check the messageboards to see the players moving on!! That's it!

PRIZE

We have a fantastic prize for our final last scrap addict standing! The winner will get a prize package and be offered a position as a GAC for Addicted Scrappers for the month of August!!! WHOO-HOOO!!

So... what are you waiting for? Go get that layout uploaded and come join the fun and see if YOU can be the last scrapper standing!!

The bunnies ate my tulips!

Yes that's right, I planted over 100 bulbs last fall and the blasted little beasts ate almost all of them! I have small green chewed on tulip nubs! I know that is the price we pay for living out in the country, but they could have left a few :(
They did not get my daffodils though:


On a sad note, I have had two friends have to put down their beloved pets, Tessa lost Katie Scarlett (aka "snorty snorty") and yesterday Tricia lost Hannah. We know how much they meant to you, and we grieve with you. Everyone, please give your pooch some extra love today in remembrance of Katie and Hannah.

Just a tease!

I had to post this picture, it's a little tease of what is coming up for the May project kit. I had all the pieces laying out and it just looked so "yummy" I had to share. I start putting the project kits together a few months before I get to work on them, and it is so fun when I finally get all the pieces , and I can start to put it all together. I think this is my favorite project so far, I will give you a hint, it is going to be titled "just for me".


A few random things for today:
1. Tessa, saw the new tattoo - LOVE IT!! The puppy prints were just perfect. I am seriously thinking of getting another one, just unsure of where. I am leaning toward having the saying "my beloved is mine and I am his" tattooed in Hebrew on my right inner wrist, as an anniversary present for Greg.

2. Deli went to the groomer yesterday, and he looks so good all trimmed up - will post a pic of him tomorrow.

3. We finally had a warm spring day today, and the boys were having so much fun hanging out doors they did not want to come in for their baths.

Not much going on, hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Colored pencil tutorial sneak

Here is a sneak peek at one of the layouts I did for the Colored Pencil tutorial. The tutorial will be in this months Cocoa Daisy Newsletter.


Hope you all had a great weekend. We had a wonderful weekend, and as part of Nate's homework we had to take "Flat Stanley" with us, first we went to see "Horton Hears a Who" I highly recommend the movie, it was funny, very close to the original story and Jim Carey did not go "over the top" with his acting.
The boys thought this display of Eddie Murphy's big head was the perfect spot to take a photo with Stanley.


Then we had a sleep over, the boys got to stay up late playing and Amber & I got to stay up late and scrap! We had a blast, but then I always have a blast when Amber is around! (I still have chocolate left girl!)
Of course Stanley stayed up late too!


I promise to post some of my HOF layouts this next week, I finally took photos of them today :-)

Back in the store.

If you missed out on the spring banner project - good news! Tricia was able to put together a few more and they are now up again in the store

Happiness is...

...everyone finally feeling better, a scrubbed clean house, my on-line friends leaving me such sweet comments :) and Amber coming over to scrap tomorrow!
We are all finally feeling better, Zach is running all over again, which makes me so happy, the little guy just laid around the house with no sparkle at all this last week. I have felt so sorry for Nate too, this is his spring break week and all we have done so far is watch cartoons and play board games. But tomorrow - Amber and I are taking the boys to see Horton Hears a Who, and then the boys get to have a sleep over, we even went out and bought Nate his first sleeping bag - in camo of course! So while the boys play tomorrow night Amber and I get to scrap - can't wait, I have my Cocoa Daisy May kit spread out on my table and I can't wait to dive into it.

A few random things:
I did this layout two weeks ago at the crop Mom and I went to (sorry about the awful handwriting, as I said I was at the crop, so no computer for my journaling) The swirly stitched leaves were done by sketching the design first, then using a piercing tool to make the stitching holes.


These were two stamp sets that I had been wanting to order on-line but found at the great store we had the crop at: (and yes I know more owls and trees, but I love all things bird and nature, makes me think of gardening- which is my first love, and I am so excited even though it is still grey and cold here the tulips are starting to wake up)


As soon as I get a good day of sunshine (and time to do it) I promise to share some of my HOF layouts. I am toying with the idea of submitting a few, so I am not sure I will share all of them just yet. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Pretty sure I messed up!

So, to start off with - no I did not get a HoF call, and I am pretty sure I know why. On Thursday the phone rang and the caller ID said CK media, I was shaking I was so excited! But it was not THE call, it was Joannie calling to verify who took one of the photos in the mini album I had submitted. Now on a side note - I screwed up, about a week ago it popped into my head (because of course I was dwelling on my entry yet again) that I had included a photo of myself with the boys in my mini album, I stood there with my jaw literally hanging open, trying to rack my brain as to if I had included that little blurb - "photo taken by other than entrant" . Now on a separate layout I had made sure to do this, because I had used a beautiful photo taken by the talented Greta - thank you sweetie!!! So I could not believe that I had missed it on this other one - I was pretty sure DH had taken the photo, but in my heart of hearts I knew I had forgotten to add that blurb, probably because it was on a little page in the mini album. So back to the phone call, Joannie asked who took the photo, I stammered I thought it was my DH, and reminded her that I had made sure to include the blurb on another/different layout in my entry. I asked her if this call meant anything and she said that what she was doing was separate from the judging. At first I was excited, I mean they would not have called if they had not been considering me, but then I just new I was going to be disqualified - which was fair-let's face it I screwed up!
I cannot believe after the amount of time I spent putting my entry together, the countless times I looked it all over and over before I mailed it out - that I missed that! But I did! I am proud of myself, I could have lied, but that's not me, and I do feel good that I was being considered.
I have to say I am sad today - I just feel like locking the scraproom door, (maybe it's the remains of the flu) but I feel like I put so much of myself into that entry. But God love him, my sweet husband, told me to call Amber, schedule an overnight scrap fest or "nerdapalooza" as he calls it and just have fun, and keep trying -he is THE BEST!!! So I think that is what I will do.
So that is the story everyone, and THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for all the well wishes and hopes that I would win, you all have no idea how much it means me!

What a weekend!

Well the lovely flu bug that started with Zach has hit all of us. Early Sat. morning Nate got it, luckly Grams and Poppy left Sunday morning and made it home with out getting sick. Then around 6pm last night Greg and I both got it - and got it bad! My mom just came and picked up the boys who are finally feeling better, so that we can rest for a while - and that is what I am going to do, have a lovely MOnday everyone!

good news/bad news

First the good news - Tricia at Cocoa Daisy has been able to get a few more of the April Banner project kits together! So if you missed out on it, head on over there!
The bad news - my little one has the flu. It has not been a pretty sight! My in-laws are in town to visit and right now all he wants is Mommy, I am hoping he is better tomorrow and will let them give him some attention too.

Oh and more bad news - they moved the HOF call date to Monday, so now I have another two days of waiting! :-(

2 days to go!

After all the wonderful comments and notes from friends, I honestly don't care if I get a call on Friday, I am just so happy to have this hobby as a creative outlet and to have such wonderful people to share it with! For those of you that were able to get the Welcome spring banner - enjoy! And if anyone ever has any questions about any of the monthly projects please feel free to pm me over at Cocoa Daisy or leave a question on the message board there, I will be happy to help you out.
Here are my creations made using the April Cocoa Daisy kit. I loved this kit so much I ended up purchasing the add-ons! And don't forget to sign up for the Newsletter, I will have a tutorial as well as make and take included it. Have a wonderful Wednesday night everyone!