HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick note to blog land to wish you all a very happy 2010!! I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted, and I am hoping my energy levels will increase now that the first trimester is pretty much over so I can get back in the groove of things! :)

Christmas Break SHOULD be consisting of preparations to teach Jane Eyre to my AP Lit class, Romantic poetry to my Brit Lit classes, and whatever else I can conjure up for my AP Language and Multicultural Lit classes! :) BUT today I am spending it catching up with my scrapping, which has definitely gone astray during the first exhausted months of my pregnancy! :)

Some old stuff that has appeared on Design Dollies are below, but I have GOT to get with the swing of things this week!!!

Wishing you the VERY best!!

Uh oh... could that be MOJO flowing???

It's still going strong I believe... :) Melanie has me making cards today... she's up to her fourth card (which I think I'll have her post later so everyone can see just how cool she is... she's working with Bellas and rub ons right about now!

Here's my one humble card using the 365 Cards sketch:

And here are ALL of Melanie's gorgeous creations! :) I'm so proud of my little six year old... she really IS a mini-me... She was just laughing at me for taking so long to finish one little card while she wrapped up all four of hers. So she went to go watch Annie while I tried to catch up! :) Gotta love kids!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!!

Can you believe it!!?? Has anyone else started their Christmas countdown?? I don't know about YOU, but I'm thinking that in addition to some Christmas cards in progress, perhaps it's time for some candy??? :) Stay tuned, I am feeling Christmasy!! :)
For now, though, my Dollie Leah and I were scrappy this weekend and we knocked out a bunch of Desin Dollies projects that I can't share with you JUST yet... Once THAT was done, lol, I DID manage a Magnolia "Thank You" card (THANKS Karmyn for sharing your stamps!!) :)


She's a cutie patootie, that's for sure! :) This one actually fits the Pink Elephant Color challenge (Brown, Yellow, Neutral and an extra... in this case glittery pink) and I used Sketch Saturday's sketch to get this concept going...As a Thank You card, this piece fits the Pile it On Challenge for this week AND the Simon Says Stamp challenge as well! :) SO... Thank YOU for stopping by... More fun and some candy DEFINITELY to come soon! :)

"When the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt -- it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more.” (Emma)

Melanie's recital was last Saturday (could it already have been a full week??). It was BEYOND adorable and SO very worth all the hard work on both sides! From watching the bigger girls dancing she decided she wanted to add acrobatics to her repertoire, so now she's taking ballet, tap, flamenco, AND acrobatics... I'm just psyched she's finally liking it. We tried enrolling her when she was almost three and she cried the whole time! :)

My mojo returned for one sole page using recital pictures...

AND I finally got to play with some Rock Candy... This jury is still out. :) I think I like Crackle Accents better, but for the "sweet" theme of this page, I think the concept works...



Hmmm... Here are a few other pages that have recently appeared on Design Dollies

(Webster's Pages just ASK to be cut up, don't you think?) :)

Have you checked out the Dollies yet??

It's official... our weekly challenges have begun. In addition to the lovely blog candy available just for checking us out, we have weekly challenges in three categories: 1) Colors (Mondays); 2) Elements (Tuesdays); and 3) Sketches (Thursdays). Individual prizes are given out monthly per category, so there's a chance to win three different prizes... Come check us out if you haven't been over there yet! :) And happy scrappin! (If only I could join you today!!)

(Oh, here are two of my "creations" as featured on DD as well!!) :)

World Card Day Yesterday

Who woulda thunk there'd be a WORLD card day? And who woulda thunk I'd actually get crafty with it? :) I made quite a few cards, some for Design Dollies so those will be posted in time, BUT here are a few that do not have an upcoming reveal date, lol! :)

I have missed my online friends and blogging family so much this past month... now that it's October things will be in full swing until after the middle of the month when I can hopefully identify what my new "normal" is! :) Stay tuned...

Check out the Dollies!! :)

Launching in about three hours is the premeire of the Design Dollies! :) Come check us out and play along for great prizes, challenges, and lots of scrapping fun! :)

BACK TO WORK!!!!!!!!!! :)

So.... I've been MIA for a few weeks because Back to School time came up and, well, for me that meant back to work as well! :) It's been VERY hectic getting back into the work routine after almost a year off, but it's also been ridiculously gratifying...

Melanie started first grade the week before I welcomed my students back to class, and it was just amazing to see my big girl embrace her new school environment so quickly and gracefully. She has only two other girls in her class and eight boys, so thankfully she gets along well with both girls! :)

My students are honestly amazing. I have three sections of seniors, one section of sophomores, and one section of Juniors/Sophomores mixed... Two of the classes are AP level, and in just two weeks we have already gotten so far together. I'm so proud of these ladies many of whom I met first when they were freshmen, and I am honestly impressed with their level of dedication both to God and to their education. I'm sure the year won't be perfect... nothing ever is, but they're starting off on a great foot and doing so very well thus far. Some of them didn't finish their summer reading (which was somewhat to be expected) but that just means I get to teach Wuthering Heights rather than just reviewing it with them... Not a bad deal, to tell the truth.

Onto the Art



The Cafe Mojo challenge this week was to create a project detailing how "Back to School" has affected/changed your daily routine... WELL, since back to school means back to work for me, I created a Back to Work card... of sorts. :) At the very least, being back to work has made me put makeup on everyday and wear heels again... agonizingly at first, no less! (THAT'S another story for another day! :) )

New stamps, whoo hoo!!

I got my first Whiff of Joy stamp today (see below) and HAD to play with it!! :)

I was just psyched that I could finally submit a card for the Whiff of Joy challenges!!! This one was also submitted for the Everybody Art Challenge (sketch), as well as Stampin for the Weekend (Babies) and Cute Card Thursday (Celebrating new things, like babies, lol)...

I have a couple of Gorjuss girls that I want to play with tonight and I STILL have a page to scrap, so perhaps you'll be hearing from me again in a few!! :)

"Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch." (Mansfield Park)

It's pushing 11 PM and I've been working on this card for, oh, about four hours now... And as excited as I am about the new school year starting next week, I know in the back of my mind that as tired as I am right now, I have GOT to at least scrap one more page before I go to bed tonight, because it may very well be my last Thursday night to scrap late for a long while...

This is another multi-challenge player today... those are getting fun, lol...

Pile it on: Good things come in threes (three brads)
Colour Create: Ruby, Gold and Cream color challenge
Delightful Sketches: I moved some stuff around when I finally figured it out, but I DID start with that sketch as a guide!
365 Cards: Day 180, Vintage image... the postcard thing is a piece of vintage ephemera from 7 Gypsies

**This one is also going into Cafe Mom's Advanced PaperCrafting group for Jill's Brush it on challenge, BUT you have to be a member to view that one, lol... It's an AMAZING group of talented ladies if you're interested!**

And there you have it bloggers... I'm SO trying to bang out at least one more layout before hubby gets home from the baseball game... Go Yankees!!!

"One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other." (Emma)

So today's post is a little thank you to my friends online and in life, lol.... I find that when I'm stumped and have no idea how to release my creative energy, all I have to do is look to my friends for support... Sometimes it's to scraplift (sad, but true, as in the case below) and sometimes it's simply to see what else is out there to BUY! :) And sometimes, as in recent days, it's to get out of a slump and just get some CRAFTING done! :) So thanks to my friends for all your encouragement and support! :)

Many props go to my new online friend Diana who actually inspired me to FINALLY cut into this piece of Sass during my tenure at the Shoe! :) The idea was DEFINITELY scraplifted from one of her gorgeous creations! :)




Miss Kristy supplied the Sketch AND the stamp for this lovely lady...

Claudia the Artist above was definitely inspired by a conversation I had with Karmyn like two weeks before I finished the card! :) Isn't it amazing how a little conversation between friends can spark creativity you didn't know was lying dormant??

Again all thanks go to Karmyn for helping me muddle through this card... It took me THREE Minnie faces before I just gave up on her and used her as is... :)

And THIS one, well.... the non traditional Fairy Tale thing was Tanisha's idea, and my Melanie was Giselle from the movie Enchanted for Halloween, and I took inspiration from the movie for the concept behind the layout... :)

"How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!" (Persuassion)

And although my camera is out, I am going to have to "like" the quality of image captured using my scanner... :) BECAUSE, I have finally completed my very first Pile it on Challenge... I've been trying to do one of those challenges forever, partially because Dalis and Vicki are amongst the sweetest of sweet ladies that I've met through the Shoe... And they happen to be running that amazingly novel site together! :) Coming from the school of thought that every single online challenge is a chance to make one new project for my collection, I had to retrain myself to figure out how to best combine challenges to get one coherent project that met multiple requirements... SO, please bear with the picture quality until my Canon comes back from the Geek Squad :)

Pile it On: My dad's birthday card is very masculine, which is this week's prompt...
If the Shoe Fits: Ning Elements Challenge... Hee hee, this is one of MY challenges, but I played along for the first time in a while! :) The challenge was to use swiss dots (ribbon), at least four brads (corners), the color teal blue (the brads are teal), distressed edges (all over), and vellum (see inside sentiment below).
Cafe Mojo: (Thanks Karm!) for the blue and brown colors...
Colour Create: The colors of choice were sand, blue, black, and silver... (I even embossed the black chess pieces with a polysparkle embossing powder but you can only see the barest hint of shine on them in this pic...)
Project Tuesday: Was to create a Surprise Gift Card holder (see the picture of the inside below)

SO, there you have it... Not really a fan of the scanned image quality, and if anyone has ANY suggestions on how to scan a 12X12 layout using a regular at home scanner, please pass them on, lol, because I want to finish this layout and get it up onto my site but other than running to kinkos, I have NO idea how to get it up without a camera!! :) BUT no worries, because we're still encouraging happy thoughts so that the Canon is back before Melanie's recital! :)

Oh, and the AC moore card is just a placeholder, lol... we're getting dad a GNC gift card instead... it'll match better too! (Anal as always!!)

"One cannot have too large a party" (Emma)

But one can be out of a camera to photograph that party! :) My camera lens is on the fritz again... so thankfully this time around I had purchased that extra warranty I usually DON'T get. The Geek Squad has promised that my camera will be back in working order within two weeks, right on time for Melanie's first dance recital! :) That's really all that matters, lol...

If I COUDLN'T take pictures of the awards ceremony, recital practice, and recital itself, well that would be a problem. But I'm sure the Geek Squad will return my camera with time to spare, and all will be good.

Unfortunately that means I really don't have pictures of anything new to share in my little blogging corner of the world though (cause I know you've been waiting with baited breath!) LOL...

I CAN, however, direct you to some of my blogging friends who have posted new and amazing works, in case you HAVEN'T seen them!!! :)

First I have to say that you should check out Lisa Howards' page... She not only has gotten some good news recently, but she has shown me that it's OK to scrap painful life lessons in a creative manner. Um, Jill WAS trying to get people to do exactly that a while ago, but it's not as easy as it sounds!!

And speaking of good news, check out Karmyn's exciting news and share in her joy!! :) OH, and she's got some awesome blog candy happening as well! :)

Hmmm... now that I think of it, it has been pretty quiet in my blogosphere, so I guess everyone is out living life and enjoying the summer! We do have some pretty awesome challenges going on at the Shoe's blog and ning sites... so come play over there and hopefully I'll have more to share by the end of the month!! :)

Happy scrappin!

I would rather be a teacher at a school (and I can think of nothing worse)... (The Watsons)

I had to seriously laugh when I saw the quote above... I LOVE being a teacher, and I'm starting to get my lessons together for September now. But I guess Ms. Austen saw the art of teaching a bit... differently? :)

I fell in LOVE with some very beautiful hat pins offered by one of my favorite scrap spots, BUT when I saw the price for them, well, the crafty junkie in me figured I could probably make my own at a fraction of the price! :)

SO I figured since I'm in teacher mode already, I may as well post a quick tutorial!

I made the hat pins in this first picture before I started the tutorial, using some bottons that I had received as a RAK and some baubles I got at Michael's in the jewlery section for about three bucks...

Instructions

Step 1. Compile supplies. You will need

A. A clear epoxy type of glue (eg, E-6000);

B. Straight Hat pins (I got a package of like 100 for two bucks at Michael's); and

C. Embellishments of choice. I have some buttons and beads I found lying around the house.

Step 2. Arrange your embellishments.

Step 3. Add epoxy glue and embellishments.

Step 4. Allow to dry for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

(Some hints: The epoxy glue is tacky, and easy to clean up. This is NOT a procedure that requires lots of precision, but do make sure you have removed any glue from the visible part of your project, because when it dries, it's super hard).

"For a fine Sunday in Bath empties every house of its inhabitants, and all the world appears on such an occasion to walk." (Northanger Abbey)

What a tumult of emotions! These past few weeks have been a series of ups and downs and lefts and rights and I am still too drained to completely understand what's going on. I can't even really expand on the situation further, except to say that in trying to help others, I've ended up more stressed in my own personal life than I needed to be.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts... Hmmm. We did get to the beach this weekend and last. Ever notice how when you go through the trouble of making a trip to enjoy beautiful weather, the climate doesn't necessarily adhere to your plans? We drove down to Point Pleasant last week, and it was hazy and cloudy and the water was freezing. The beach was crowded, and we ended up crammed together like sardines. So we chose a quieter beach this past weekend, figuring that Belmar would offer some sanctuary and more space to enjoy the beauty of the ocean. Except that it was about sixty degrees, cloudy, and very windy. We needed sweaters. And that was MOSTLY because we got there after a three hour crawl through traffic, missing all of the prime sunshine. But it was definitely more relaxing than the previous trip and much less crowded.

And now it's over ninety degrees, humid, hot and muggy. Perfecct time to be at the beach, where it's slightly cooler and I'm sure the water is MUCH warmer now! :) But of course, we have no more plans to venture down the shore until the end of August... When it'll probably rain instead. Figures, no?

So in all this stress, I am not really happy with the creative work I've come up with, but here are some of the things I have finished.

(This was for Karmyn's Think Outside the Box challenge at the Shoe)

(This was made for a CafeMom challenge using a sketch from 52 Sketches)

(And this two page layout was done for July's Basic Grey kit, which I got from Scrap-A-Doodle Doo...)

"If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory." (Mansfield Park)

And MY memory is shot... I have TOTALLY forgotten to update all month about my new DT assignment! It's old news now, BUT I was officially designated as a full Design Team member of If the Shoe Fits, Scrap It, effective July 2009. I have been playing along with the talented members of The Shoe, especially on the ning site, for the longest, so the invitation to join the DT was actually a surprise and honor! :)

SO, here's some stuff I worked on for the Shoe that has appeared there thus far. Forgive me for the redundancy if you have already played along with the shoe, and if you have NOT, then get your behind in gear and check out the great challenges both on the site (for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Scrap A Doodle Doo!) or the ning, for other goodies! :)

(Christmas in July card... Santa's globe was a transparancy, which is why it looks TOO glary...)

(This one was for the Sponsor Kit, that is provided monthly by Scrap A Doodle Doo... Ended up being my brother's birthday card too!!!)

This one was for last Friday's color challenge (Aqua, Granny Smith Green, and Kraft)... Thank you Karmyn for introducing me to the long legged ladies stamps!!! LOVE Danica...

And THEN Miss Kristy had this AWESOME sketch... So awesome we have a card AND a layout challenge for it!!!

SO although sometimes I feel like I don't have enough work to post to my blog, now that I'm FINALLY able to post some of the layouts I've been coveting, well... hopefully one day they will see the light, lol!! Thanks for looking, and have a wonderful weekend!!!

"In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided..." (Mansfield Park)

So my itty bitty bloggy thing got its first "award" of sorts today--TWO actually! :)

First to post it was my muse, Ms. Jill... More about her below...

And THEN Amy gave me the same really cool award! Amy is a new online friend for me, but she TOTALLY rocks... She's beyond talented, and oh so humble about it to boot! And she has this little Princess named Emma... Oh my gosh. CUTIE... Oh, Amy needs stamps... Note to self...

OK, so this bloggy awardy thingy means that I have to post the pic, and then I have to post about Seven bloggy friends, and THEN post seven things about myself people may not know... So here goes.

I am a fan of:

Lisa Howard: Seriously, the funniest, most REAL blogging voice in our crafty little circle, Lisa's blog inspires me to work harder at my craft while enjoying my everyday life a little more... My all time favorite blog read...

Kristy: Miss Kristy is seriously SUCH a hugely talented artist. She's not just a scrapper though... She has these awesome skills... Sketching skills, nunchuck skills, chibi skills, bowhunting skills, photoshop skills, computer hacking skills, blog design skills, oh, and scrapbooking skills.

Tracey: This is Tracey's like sixth copy of this award, and it's her own fault for being so darned amazing. She's truly an artistic inspiration, and an overall AWESOME chick. We bond, over wine or beer, almost every other day lol, and it has gotten to the point where I "talk" to Tracey more than I talk to my local friends... now if we could only meet face to face one day, well... that'd be off the HOOK! :)

Karmyn: Karmyn and I are like polar opposites. She's a neat crafter. I'm a mess (slovenly artist IS my motto!!). She's in a band. Not only can I not carry a tune, but I listen to SPANISH music or the New Kids on the Block in my free time... definitely not a rock kinda girl if you get my gist... She knows how to get things on a discount. I know how to rack up a credit card bill. She's got short spikey hair. I have long curls... The list goes on and on and on, but we WORK. At this point I think we see each other about twice a month or more if we can swing it! :) She's my buddy, fellow newbie Design Team member over at the Shoe, and my main confidante... Which reminds me... Karm, give me a BUZZ!!!

Jill: Ahhhh... Jill has DEFINITELY seen the evolution of my scrappy style! Actually, if I really think about it, Jill has actually TAUGHT me how to scrap the way I scrap today... I was so scared of ink before I "met" her online! :) LOL... She talked about inking edges and (gasp) distressing and tearing paper like it was the greatest, newest, bestest thing ever. And I thought she was nuts. Um, if you saw my last post, you can see that we've come a long way together!!!

Tanisha: THIS lady TRULY traipsed across the eastern seaboard to come see little old me about two years ago... And that was back when I was like "Ink, what ink?" ACTUALLY, it was more like "WHAT is that gun looking thing that sounds like a battery operated adult toy that you're using on your layout? OH Stamps? What stamps?" And then she tried to teach this old dog how to make something DIMENSIONAL... LOL. I was SO in awe... and still am in awe of what Ms. T can do with some paint, adhesive, and a l'il bit of paper! :) She rocks...

Lesley: Yeah... um I thought I was getting good with the whole vintage and Tim Holtzy stuff... Until I got to know Lesley. Of my bloggy friends, she's my newest, but hot DAMN, check out her work.... She puts me to shame each and everytime she posts, and, well, she knows how to keep it real too! :)

SHEESH, the SECOND part of this longest blog post ever is seven things about me.... Let me make them snappy:

1. I am deathly afraid of spiders or flies going up my nose. Don't ask.

2. The first thing I look at when I meet a person is their teeth. Then their hands. Then their butts.

3. My aunt and scrap buddy was my best childhood friend for over twelve years. We argued, didn't talk for about ten years, and now she's my best adult friend all over again. And we're raising our children together just like we dreamed...

4. I want to move to the country.

5. I have to be reading about three books at a time or I can't concentrate and get the gist of a single one of them. Current list includes The Time Traveler's Wife (again), Mrs. Dalloway, Persuassion, and Great Expectations. The last THREE are prep for work though! :)

6. I wish I were still 26. It was a great year... I reminisce a lot about YOUNGER years, and am starting to feel a little age worn, but at 32, I have to suck it up and keep truckin!

7. I had a best friend for over fifteen years (not the aunt I mentioned above, lol). SOMETHING went wrong and we lost it... I wish we could have salvaged our friendship earlier, but of all things, FACEBOOK is bringing us slowly closer again... Gotta LOVE technology!!!

"I suppose there may be a hundred different ways of being in love." (Emma)

Being a mother has opened my eyes to what it means to be truly in love, unconditionally. When I am blessed with the opportunity to guide, mold, forgive, correct, or be patient with my child, I am reminded again of how great God's love is for us... And when I reminisce on those precious days when my baby was... a baby, well, my heart swells with love, pride, and a little bit of nostalgia.

Onto the Art

The newest Dream Girls challenge was to use photos that were five years old or older, in a sepia or black and white tone, within a sketch from the site.

I have been hoarding these pictures of Melanie as a toddler for almost six years now, waiting for the right inspiration for their use. SO I scanned them into the comptuer, used Paint net to pull out the blue in the comb and pamper, and then turned them into a sepia tone...

Then I played with some acrylic paints and crackle paints around the edges of the photos... AND then I played with some GRUNGE PAPER... Gotta love the stuff... it's so moldable, and tear able, and inkable, and yummy...