Almost forgot to Share

Have you seen what is going on over at the Sketch~n~Scrap blog. So much inspiration, you will be sure to reach your scrapping goals for 2014. Each month we feature two layout sketches (the 1st and the 15th) and two card sketches (the 5th and 20th). We also have a new monthly special called inspired by with an additional layout sketch to help keep those creative juices flowing. And along with that we have some great prizes just for participating with us. I have seen the prize line up and they just keep getting better and better each month, I promise. The prize for this month is a Paper and embellishment pack featuring Crate Paper's newest Valentine's day line pictured below.

For my layout I used Teresa Collins You Are My Happy collection. I know I say it a lot but this really is a fun collection to use and I really like how the color black just works so well with the color palette. This is a layout of my girls from over the summer. They were on their way to dinner in Center City. They take so many pictures of themselves I rarely get a chance to take my own, I just steal theirs, lol. Stayed tune for more, I am on a roll, lol.

Sketch-n-Scrap Cards

For some reason I have been getting a mental block when it comes to making cards. So for inspiration I gathered up a couple of sketches from the Sketch-n-Scrap blog and got to work. My first card was inspired by the first card sketch featured on the blog. I used my card kit from Simon Says Stamps.  I had to cancel my subscription because the kits were coming faster than I was creating anything.  But I love the versatility of the stamps.  For my second card I used the current sketch featured on the blog.  Have you seen it yet? You can check it out here and if you submit an entry you could win a great prize. Again I used my Simon Says kit but I also used a little stickles and bling to accent the card. Woohoo another spell broken!

Groovy Friday!

I just ordered my first Groove Book, I am so excited! Have you heard about it, it is perfect for scrappers. I first heard about it on Shark Tank and wasn't too interested at first but then one of my Instagram friends ordered one and I had to have it. All you have to do is download the app onto your smart phone. The app  then looks for the photos on your phone, you then upload them, select the ones you want printed and boom! It will be shipped to you within seven days. And your first book is free! There are a couple of catches of course. First of all it is a subscription based service for a monthly fee of $2.99 which still is not bad. After your first book of 100 photos you have to select a minimum of at least 40 pics to prints which still is a great deal. I have seen some people write reviews complaining about the quality of the pictures and then again I have seen people praise it - so that part seems like a matter of opinion. You can only upload photos from your phone but you could always just transfer your photos from your computer to your phone and upload them that way. Another plus is that the book has perforated pages so the photos can be removed easily. I don't know that I will have 100 pictures to print every month but I am almost sure that I will have 40 and for $2.99 that is not a bad deal.

I will share more when my book arrives, but until then here is a little more info -  

http://www.mommieswithcents.com/2014/01/have-you-gotten-your-free-groovebook-yet-it-includes-shipping.html

Have a great weekend, wishing you Love, Peace and Sooooooooooul!

Under the Wire

I love the beginning of every month. it is a new start - a chance to set new goals and enter challenges. Each month I am bright eyed and eager to just participate in everything and by the end of the month after printing my sketches, thinking about my ideas in my head, going through photos and making plans I usually wind up with.......................nada. But I think the curse of the never complete layouts has been broken as I managed to participate in one of the My Scraps and More Sketches challenges for January using this sketch.

This is a layout of my oldest daughter after getting her hair done. I just love how everything fell into place for this layout and I love her gorgeous photo (she is the queen of selfies, lol).  I have been itching to use my cheveron rhinestones and they worked perfectly. Now I am going to print my February sketches and challenges, who knows I might be able to set a record, lol.

Snow Excuse!

Not that I was ever expecting sunshine and warm temps in January but the weather so far this year has been one for the books! I have missed several days of work and have trudged in several inches of snow to get to work. The only thing I haven't done so far is shovel any snow, lol.  My family has been spoiling me in that regard. So with all of that you would think that I have a ton of layouts to share.............lol ummmm no! But I have been doing a little sumthin sumthin here and there. Here is one of my favorite layouts so far. My nephew had a Dr. Seuss themed party for his 6th birthday. The colors in the photos were so bright and vibrant it was hard to find the right papers to match until I found The Hey Kid collection. Although a pretty simple design I love how this layout turned out.  I am also entering this layout into the S.W.A.T. Hump day birthday challenge that you can find here. Brace yourself and clutch your pearls because I am going to post again tomorrow, lol! See ya soon! 

New Year, New Start

Oh Wow! I really let my blog fade off near the end of the year. Things got so hectic for me that I just couldn't keep up, but the beauty of a new year is a new start and I am going to take adavantage of it. First I want to sent a big BLOGGER shout out to some people who really made 2013 special for me on the blogs, you definitely should check them out-

Deborah - always stops by even when I don't post in a while just to say hi and I just love her for that!

Thomisia - Wildly creative, beautiful family and full of energy. You inspire me to be a better Mom and wife!

Ms. Kat- I have been one of your biggest fans for years so when you like something of mine, I blush!! You always inspire me to be just a little more creative.
Wendi - This young lady cranks out the best layouts in record speed, ooooh how I wish I could be like you!
Staci - Always providing food for thought both crafty and just real life

Lisa - Not only is she my SNS boss but she is super creative and is always thinking of ways to take things to the next level

Lissa - My new super crafty friend, I love her work and her blog - sooo inspiring.

Princess - My crafty sister for years, she makes cards that not only make you smile but also touch your soul. I am so thankful for her because even when I fall off she is there for me.

Gemiel - her faith based work with both cards and layouts are such a special source of inspiration for me.

And to all of my new friends Evie, Leslie, Kerry, Cindy, Toneisha and Stephanie 

I know there are people that I forgot and I want to say thank you to all of my visitors and blog friends. It is hard to explain to people (okay, my husband lol) how there are people in this world that I have never met but mean so much to me. For the new year I am rededicating myself to blogging so from now on look forward to more ME both creatively and personally. And so not to leave you hanging, here is my January 1st layout for Sketch~n~Scrap. Make sure to stop by the blog and try the sketch for a great prize from Skyline Paperie. Talk to you soon!

Spreading Christmas Cheer with Page Drafts

I thought I scheduled this to post days ago, be sure to check out the Page Drafts Christmas sketches. I have one layout featured there but the sketches are pretty cool so I am working on more.

www.pagedrafts.com/2013/12/we-wish-you-merry-christmas-for-2013.html

He is here!

My new great nephew! Born 11:47 last night 6lbs and 11 oz.

This is him at 12 hours old!

I see I have a lot of spoiling to do, lol.

Mickey Mouse Baby Shower

I think my grand-nephew is going to make his appearance today, woohoo. His Mom is in labor, albeit slow, but I think he is coming today. We had a Mickey Mouse themed shower for hera couple of weeks ago and here are a few pictures. I made cake pops and used mini oreos for the ears before I dipped them in the chocolate. I also used qbee's template for baby carriages filled with Hershey Kisses - so stinkin cute! (I will add the link as soon as I get home), I also wrapped water bottles with a cute saying and my niece made sugar dipped Marshmallow treats. This party came together so well that we are working on a new project that you will hear more about shortly.  Hopefully I will be sharing some baby pictures on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone! 

Suckaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

My co-worker Charlie is a cool dude who loves Tootsie Pops and I wanted to do something nice for him. Charlie has a very giving spirit and an easy going personality. He has has a rough time of it since 2006 when his son, Pat, who was in his early twenties at the time, was paralyzed while playing college Hockey and is now a quadriplegic. Charlie and his wife try to make Pat's life as normal as possible and his son plays wheelchair Rugby, attends sporting events, attends college, etc with Charlies help of course. No matter how many appointments, or late nights Charlie has he never complains, he is just thankful to still have his son because it could have been worse. So for a sweet treat I made this Tootsie Pop bouquet for his birthday. I saw it done for other ages and thought it was too cute and yes there are 60 Pops on there, I counted them myself, lol!

Whoops!

I almost forgot to announce the winner of my blog hop! By random pull-by-my-husband-as-he-watched-Gilligan's-Island-like-it-was-the-first-time-and-he-really-doesn't-know-that-no-one-is-getting-off-of-the- island-and-everyone-obviously-packed-too-many-clothes-for-a-three-hour-tour......................................................................................................my winner is Barbara Greensberg! Barbara email me your snail mail address at tmikmik@yahoo.com and I will get your package right out to you!
Happy Crafting everyone and thanks for playing along!

Yay, it's reveal day!

I was looking through my pile of layouts and realized that very few feature my husband and after twelve years together, that aint right! So for this first sketch I decided to do one about him and his fabulous bread pudding. Since he and the girls do not eat bread ends (I don't know how that came about), he saves them for a month or two in the freezer and then makes a nice batch of bread pudding. He also makes it for our block party, Thanksgiving, the New Year and on demand for his many fans. One of the things that impress me the most is that he makes it without a recipe or a measuring cup and each batch is better than the last. I personally like the crispier edges and because I know how to do a dessert right I add carmel sauce to mine, lol.  For this layout I used almost the last of my Maple Grove papers from a Scrap-room kit in my stash. I hope to finish the papers off on a couple cards, 1 down and many more to go.

                             

Looking for inspiration? Make sure you stop by the Sketch~n~Scrap blog. The team did an excellent job with the sketch and this month the prize is a $25 gift certificate to Kiwi Lane Designs, you don't want to misss your chance to win. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend. I am working hard on favors and extras for a baby shower, I will be sure to share photos!

Committing an one-eight-seven

YES! I plan on killing kits! My friends and I have been members of the Scrap-room kit club for several years and just as much as I love the kits and the variety they offer each month it seems that the new month's kit comes around before I even have the chance to get through the current kit so over time I have amassed a healthy stash of kits that I have not even touched (except to ooooh and aaah at my papers).

Just a Few................................

So last night I went through my stash and selected a couple of my faves and now I have to execute a plan to use each kit at least once! Okay so I won't actually be killing kits but I do plan on a little bit of assault on each kit. I have already matched one kit up with a couple of pictures and I am ready to go. Here is my scoreboard to keep track of my progress. As you can see it is blank so far but I am going to try hard to knock them out!

Everyday is a holiday Blog Hop!

I hope you are enjoying the Sketch~n~Scrap blog hop and I hope you got the chance to visit Hillary's blog yesterday and see her awesome Mother and Father's day projects. Today I have some sweet treats for you as I celebrate Sweetest Day, you know everyday really is a holiday.

Sweetest Day is always observed on the third Saturday in October, which fell on Oct. 19 in 2013.

Sweetest Day is an original American holiday not based on any group's religious tradition. It's simply a reminder that a thoughtful word, deed or small gift enriches the life of the recipient as well as the person giving it. Legend has it that Sweetest Day was established around 1922 by Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveland, Ohio, candy company employee who wanted to bring happiness to the lives of those who often were forgotten. Kingston and others distributed candy and small gifts to orphans, people confined to their homes and others to show them that someone cared. 

Keeping with the candy theme I thought this would be the perfect chance to use this template that I purchased a while ago here - http://kelleighratzlaff.com/sales/the-brand-new-candy-dispenser-template/.
These cute little candy dispensers hold about one cup of M&Ms and make cute favors or small treats for co-workers or friends.

And after attending five weddings this year I guess that I am still feeling the love in the air so I made this card perfect for an anniversary or wedding -

And to top off all of this sweetness I have this SWEET paper pack from one of my favorite online retailers- A Cherry on Top- to giveaway featuring Pink Paislee's Hey Kid collection! This collection is so much fun to play with, so be sure to enter.

All you have to do is make sure that you are a follower of the Sketch~n~Scrap main blog, every month we offers both card and layout sketches and a ton of inspiration, you will not be disappointed. AND make sure you leave me a comment so that I know that you have been here, that is it!You have until November 8th, the last day of our hop to enter. I hope you enjoyed my projects and make sure to visit the Sketch~n~Scrap blog tomorrow for another holiday celebration.

Guess what day it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't why I think this is soo funny but it cracks me up! Now I am making everyone at work crazy today asking, Guess what day it is, lol. I am in a good ol' silly mood today. Not much else going on, still getting excited about the Sketch~n~Scrap blog hop that I hope you will join me for starting October 21st.

Last night I watched the Hip Hop Awards and Kevin Hart cracks me up. We also watched Kevin Hart's DVD stand up comedy Let Me Explain last night, I ws laughing so hard that my cheeks started to hurt and my smile hasn't worn off yet. And YES! I even have a few layouts  to share. Have a great day everyone!!!!!!!!!

I always steal my daughter's selfies, lol

My youngest daughter just hanging out on the steps.



Oh she made me beg and plead with her to take School Pictures!!!!!!!!!



More Blog Hop News

It took me a while to decide on a prize but when I saw this collection I knew it was a must have for any scrapper so of course I wanted to give it away! Make sure you visit the Sketch~n~Scrap blog each day from October 21st through November 8th to see what each designer is up to and the prizes that are being offered.

For my holiday I am giving away this "Sweet" Hey Kid kre8tive kit by Pink Paislee that contains: (12) 12" x 12" single sided patterns, (329) cardstock stickers, (5) clear border stickers, and (27) chipboard stickers.Create amazing craft projects with the NEW Kre8V-Kits! Everything you need is bundled into one convenient pack including papers, stickers, alphabets, chipboard accents and more!

See you at the hop!

Sketchy Business

Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes I am still around, got into a little blogging funk but I am back! First before I share some layouts I have to announce that our Design Team is having a "Everyday is a Holiday" blog hop starting Ocotber 21st through November 8th. Each day you can stop by the blog to see what Holiday our Designer is celebrating and what prizes are up for grabs. I am am busy getting ready for my Holiday now so be sure to check back soon, I promise that you won't be disappointed :). In fact you should stop by the Sketch~n~Scrap blog right away to check out this month's sketch and submit your layout for a chance to win a prize from our Ocotber sponsor, Stacia at Scrapstuffz !  Be sure and stop by her wonderful etsy shop and have a look around!

Here is the October 1st sketch and my take on the sketch -

My daughters wanted a little sister so badly - I am glad their father gave them one, my baby making factory is closed down, lol.  Fancy Pants Trendsetter papers

And just so you don't think that I am a total slacker here are some layouts that I have been working on in my absence, lol.

My nephew was 11 years old, wearing #11 in the year 2011, how cool is that? This is an Echo Park mini-theme collection.

Three generations of Jefferson men.

My daughter and niece call each other sexy each day of the week, Here they are in full sexiness, lol.

Challenged with Sketch~n~Scrap

So have you ever looked at a sketch and thought, "I wouldn't know where to begin' so you pass it along. Well being on the design team at Sketch~n~Scrap we are challenged to work with each sketch, even if that means adapting it to your style. So my first challenge when I saw the September 1st sketch #40 was the number of photos. I rarely scrap with more than 3 photos even though I know I would get more photos done if I did. Next I was stumped with how to make this fit my style, so instead of looking at it as one big task I began to look at the sketch in two pieces. I worked with the top half first and then attacked the second half and put it all together for a cohesive layout. I am so glad that I did, it is so easy to get stuck in a comfort zone and in the end I love the results. Be sure to come join us this month at Sketch~n~Scrap and challenge yourself to do something different! 

Crusin is Made for Love

Late post, but here is my layout for the August 1st sketch and scrap layout challenge. There is still time to join in at www.sketchnscrap.blogspot.com!

A little Sketchy

I know that I always talk about better time management but if only you knew how much it stresses me out trying to find time to do everything that I want to do. That is the nice thing about scrapping, it is an escape for me, basically my chance to feel accomplished with something I truly love to do. This month I have focused on participating in a couple of challenges including our own Sketch~n~Scrap challenge. We would love to have you stop by and participate with us. Each month there are prizes and you could be our next Featured Scrapper! Here is what I have been working on lately -

Sketch~n~Scrap Aug 15th reveal #39 - You ever have those Perfectly Imperfect photos that you want to scrap. I could not get these photos super clear but I just love the spontaneous way they capture my niece playing at the sprayground. I wanted this layout to be just as playful with bright fun colors.

This layout is for Brenda Ragsdale's monthly sketch challenge. I really enjoyed working with this sketch and was able to pull this layout together just as I envisioned it. I used one of my crafter's workshop templates for the dashed circles and a border stamp for the other row of dots. I used Basic Grey's Hey Boy collection, it is a versatile and fun collection to work with, trust me you will see it again soon, lol.



This layout makes me laugh because I have been scrapping these photos for years. I did a photo shoot of my daughters a few years ago and I am still not finished with them. I do think that I have scrapped some of them twice but who is counting right? This layout was done using Brenshevia's sketch from the Let's get Sketchy blog. I was so excited to use Echo Park's Here and Now collection, the colors are just fantastic!

I still have more to show you so I will be back soon!