Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!! (CLOSED!!!!!!)

March is absolutely my favorite month of the year, even as it always ends up in me being older and older! :) My birthday is coming up on March 14th, and in honor of that event, I'm offering up some yummy CANDY!!!! :)

Included in my box of favorite things:

• Webster's Pages:
  Lullaby Lane and Life's Portrait Petite Papers
  Lullaby Lane Deluxe Journaling Card Set
  Silhouettes Self Adhesive Cameos
• Sassafras Lass:
  Snack Attack Felities
  Cherry Sweet Treats Cardstock Stickers
  Cherry Delicious Wee Bundle
• Basic Grey
  Offbeat Rubons
  Opaline Half Pearls (Mauve and Gray)
• Kaiser
  Self Adhesive Pearls (Blush and Ice Green)
• Close to My Heart
  Colonial White/Sweet Leaf Embellishments
  Chocolate Shades Collection Mini Medley
• Tattered Angels
  Golden Terracotta Glimmer Mist
• The Paper Loft
  Now and Then Old Timer Journaling Card
  Storybook Pages Love and Romance Card
• Prima
  Pebbles Cailloux

So here are the logistics:

• If you already ARE a follower, please comment below and share YOUR fondest birthday memory and post a pic of my candy/link back here on YOUR blog's sidebar (1 entry)


• If you are not yet a follower, please become one and comment below on YOUR fondest birthday memory, then post a pic of my candy/link back here on YOUR blog's sidebar... (1 entry)


• Please take a moment to play along with the Design Dollies anytime this month and of course comment back here that you HAVE played along with the Dolls (with a pic of my candy/link back here on YOUR blog's sidebar)...(1 entry)


• IF you play with the Dollies on March 16th, I'll be directing you back to my blog for more, well, of me (and you'll get another 3 entries for playing with MY Elements challenge that week after you post a comment here and link your blog back to my candy)

Ok, so I'm an English teacher, but I THINK that gives everyone at least...16 chances to win (if you play with ALL the Dollies challenges, that is!!!) :)

I will keep this post up and running until Midnight on March 31st, so until then, happy scrapping, and thanks for playing!!! :)

Last chance....

My candy expires at Midnight on Wednesday, the 31st (Can you believe March is almost OVER already?)... So make sure you comment on the Candy post with your favorite birthday memory and play along with the Dollies for extra chances to win!! Happy scrappin!

It's a Dollilicious Challenge!! WITH extra chances to win candy...

WELL, thank you to everyone who has shared amazing birthday wishes and beautiful stories of their own favorite birthday stories. I LOVE reading about your experiences and can't wait to read more!! :)

As promised, we have a special Design Dollies challenge in honor of my birthday, so definitely head over to the Design Dollies Challenge Blog to see what we have in store for ya.... And then come on back to play!! :)

Here's a sneak peek at what I played with for the challenge above...

And I've got, oh, let's say twenty more cards to go before I'm done with the seniors' batch... And I think I won't make another card again for a LONG time, lol!! :)

"It was a delightful visit - perfect, in being much too short." (Emma)

My darling Leah visited with us yesterday, and we had an impromptu surprise birthday party... Could you picture my dining room table and living room bedecked with our scrap supplies aplenty and one half of my family all together cooking some Puerto Rican specialties (even my hubby made the arroz con pollo!!) while Leah and I tried to get our mulitple projects done WITHOUT being rude to the well wishers? At first I was worried they'd be offended, but everyone in my family seems to understand my addiction at this point... especially when they saw the ABUNDANCE of supplies we pull out for these things!!

AND, I made thirteen more cards toward my goal of 49... I think I'm up to 26 now... SOME of them were rushed and WAY too simple for me to post (you'd fall asleep on them)... BUT, then there are some like the one using the Card Patterns sketch (Tracey, if you read this, WHERE in NY are you?? I'm in Northern NJ right over the GWB... are we neighbors??):

And this What a Wonderful World card from the 365 Days Challenge:

Thank you JILL for the amazing embellishment you made oh so long ago for our CM swap!! Fit PERFECTLy for what I had to crank out this weekend!!

BUT I think my favorite (and most girly) card so far was the one I made using the Pile it On (Pastels) challenge that fit for the Ooh La La Anything Goes incentive, the Secret Crafter's Anything Goes challenge, Rosie D's Spring challenge, By the Cute and Girly's Spring Challenge, and an awesome Paper Sundaes Spring Challenge for Willow (SHE'S ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!)....

I think that's enough for now, but please do remember to check out the Dollies Tuesday the 16th for a special triple entry chance for my candy.... And thanks to everyone for the awesome birthday wishes... Admittedly, thirty three doesn't feel like an age to really go out and party for, lol, but I welcomed my day in doing my favorite thing and I hope the old wive's tale that says how you spend your birthday will set the tone for the rest of your year rings true on that aspect!!!

""My dear, you are too particular," said her husband. "What does all that signify? You will see nothing of it by candlelight." (Emma

And as crafters, aren't we ALL a bit meticulous about our work overall?? WELL... I can critique my projects ad nauseum, but I have GOT to get these cards done for my students this weekend... so far, this is #12 of 49... For Delightful Sketches' Kids Challenge as well as the Color Dare's Tempting Chocolate Celery Challenge...

WELL, I'm hoping to get MANY more cards done this weekend with Ms. Leah, so please check back by Monday... And don't forget that we'll have a special candy-related challenge at the Dollies on Tuesday the 16th!!! Happy Scrapping!

"It was agreed that, provided the weather were fair, the party should take place on the following morning" (Northanger Abbey)

And tomorrow IS a party day!! Two more days until my birthday, and my buddy Leah L'Orange is comin over to scrap and play all day!!

And though we'll be playing, I have got WORK to do!! My seniors are getting ready for their annual retreat at the end of Spring break, and it is our tradition to send them off with a little note from each teacher (even if we couldn't STAND the kid all year), encouraging them as they embark on their new journey... So of COURSE, I decided to make them each an individualized card reflecting THEM and write a personalized note in each. Then I realized I have 49 seniors. And three days to get the cards finished. And ten made. :) SO, wish me luck, and I'm sure my next few hundred posts will be of cards, no layouts, until I have finished this project. BUT I act like it's a chore... It's actually a fun thing (right?) :).

SO, here's number eleven of 49... Made for a Cafe Mom challenge and the current sketch challenge at The Character Cafe... I LOVE their digis, btw, and may have to get some before I'm done with my card run to play with. Kristy's digis are also awesome at Some Odd Girl, so I will have to fire up the printer for those... Hey, question bloggers: if I heat set a digi, will it help prevent bleeding when I color 'em in?? I tried coloring in a Kaylee the other day and smudged it beyond recognition... Hmmm...

"Mary wished to say something sensible, but knew not how. " (Pride and Prejudice)

Don't you just have to LOL sometimes when reading Austen? So witty... AND I know exactly how Mary felt... I have put my foot in my mouth so many times I truly wish I could stop talking sometimes... And it's often easier to WRITE the correct thing than to say it... SO, this card is one of the ones I made for my recent Alice in Wonderland swap, and shows the vintage Mad tea party. I can't wait to see the movie, maybe on Sunday in celebration of my birthday...

I made this one using a sketch that was posted in a group I play with on CafeMom, and now my humble little card is the icon thingy for the group this month, which makes me feel all warm and gushy inside, lol. Now, if only I could KEEP the energy going to make some more cards... WELL, do check out the Dollies when you have a chance and play along for my candy (see post above). Later...

"What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?" (Alice in Wonderland)

And WHOA do I have pictures for YOU!! :) I just got my fabby swap box from my DARLING partner Gina, and DID she hook me up or WHAT?????????

So I opened the package and found this: But seriously, LOOK at the detail AROUND the box!!:

And that's not even the BOTTOM of the box!!!!:
So... of course you KNOW the inside of the box RAWKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

But wait... it gets even BETTER:

AND did you SEE the detail in the bracelet??:

AND that's not to mention the wind up caterpillar and two books that Gina enclosed as well! Um, Melanie confiscated them, and she hid them from me already, but when I find them (they're probably under her pillow where she stows all the stuff she swipes until I have my back turned), I'll add 'em to the post!!

Gina, seriously, thank you so very very much for all of the goodies! I cannot wait to play, and NOW I definitely want to see the new movie!! Hope you enjoy your box o' goodies when it arrives as much as I loved mine!!!

Prima's Got a Secret...

And they've got some AWESOME candy too!!!

That's Right! Prima is giving away two more AMAZING prize packages in conjunction with their BIG SECRET!

Check 'em out!!!

"She was obliged to recollect that...no private correspondence could bear the eye of others" (Persuassion)

While Jane Austen may have felt correspondence should remain private, hopefully the recipients of my cards won't feel that their privacy has been invaded by my posting the cards in advance! :) I have to finish up my Alice swap this week and THEN I'll be busy card making for the next two weeks... I have 48 seniors who are going to get individual cards wishing them well... And I have my work cut out for me!! :) Other than the "You're a Hoot" card below, I think I'll be working from scratch... :) (OH, AND please be sure to check back in the next week or so cause I'll have a little birthday announcement!!!)

"Every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what is required."(P&P)

I know, I know... I've been awfully MIA this pregnancy.... But shall I throw a hint to my loyal followers and say I've FINALLY begun my pre-birthday celebration with a gift chance for YOU?? Tune back in during the month of March to see what goodies I'm able to compile in honor of my thirty (gulp) third bday...

In the meantime, I HAVE been crafty... but again, I can't post the stuff till it goes "Live" with the Dollies, because honestly I try my hardest to just get THOSE challenges out of the way before I scrap anything else... and then I run out of time or mojo or energy!! :) BUT it's snowing out again today, so maybe we can get scrappy in the interim??

Let's see...

Did I mention my chagrin when I found out that Ranger is discontinuing Crackle Accents and I had JUST finished my last bottle on some layouts? WELL, here's one of those final projects...

And here's a layout of my loves... And my teenage loves, New Kids on the Block, lol... They STILL have it going on...
Hey, if any of you bloggers out there have a tutorial on how to take a better picture of a 12X12 layout, please pass it along... I STILL (obviously) struggle with getting just the right shot of my work... Cards are easier MOST of the time, but I can't seem to get my 12X12s to look the way I'd like them to... :) Thanks!!!

(oh, pregnancy update... still due June 26th or July 6th, and Elijah is growing very nicely. We had a sonogram yesterday and we saw his spine, confirmed his gender again, lol, and saw him moving around, which was pretty cool... I SHOULD be scrapping his sonogram pictures but who has time??) :)

It's a Snowy, Scrappy Day!!!!

Actually, it's been TWO snow days at this point, whoo hoo!! We got about 18 inches here in Northern NJ, and having been spared the weekend snow, it's not THAT bad out there... But bad enough that schools across the area have been closed for two days! Which means BUMMY days! :) AND Scrappy days, believe it or not! It's been so long since my clutter has taken over my dining room... Feels good (but overwhelming when I think of cleaning it up!) :)

(My Creative Clutter is BACK)

And I'm back in challenge mode (could it be????)

Here's a "Heart Filled" card for the AI Factory Challenge, the CCEE inspiration challenge (black, red and white as well as hearts), Cute Card Thursday, and I THINK it fits the Pile it On challenge as well (although it's the wine I love not the bunny)! (This is also card one for the upcoming Alice in Wonderland swap... Gina, stop reading!!! :))

Can you tell I'm still loving the flower soft stuff??? AND that I'm still dying for a glass of wine?? -- the little charm thing is a double entendre... It's reminiscent of Alice's "Drink Me" tags and bottles, and my extremely STRONG desire to drink a whole bottle of wine, lol... Four more months...

A Couple of Items (Whoo Hoo!!)

I have FINALLY gotten some scrappy mojo going on, largely as a result of my recent crop weekend with Scrap A Doodle Doo last weekend. So...

For Design Dollies, I played with some Vintage papers from Graphic 45 (go figure):

AND in honor of my darling friend Kristy's newest line of Digital Stamps, Some Odd Girl, I had the chance to play along with Sketchy Thursdays' Second Chance Challenge using this funky Kaylee Cuddle stamp and some Flowersoft (my newest addiction!!):

All in all, I did complete eleven projects this past weekend, but I can't showcase them until they are released with the Dollies... SO, hopefully that means more blog posts this month! :) Thanks for checking in!! :)

It's a....

BOY... Just a quick note to update my readers, lol (thanks Sylvia for reminding me to post this news!!) that we found out our little bundle of joy due July 6th is a Boy... Elijah Andrew Medina is what we're thinking of naming him and we are beyond excited. Exhausted, but excited... Many hugs ladies!!

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!!