Tomorrow is the BIG DAY

I am taking the challenge to take a picture a day all year...
I have batteries charged and extras in my case, and am ready to go....I haven't given much thought to this other than it sounds like a great way to share with my friends and families what happens in my little life.
So this is the beginning!

Updating my Blog (finally)and Freebie

I have struggled to get the right feel for my blog, I wanted it to feel like my living room, kinda grown up, but not too much so you can't get comfortable...I struggled getting the right look and between saving and HTML codes that need to be....well I won't say..ha ha
I have also added a nifty comment box...Charlie teaches me so much! I saw it on her blog and had to grab one, in pink of course...it has already done things I didn't think possible, my recently skinny friend...I should post her Christmas cards from last year and this year, and you would see how little she has gotten! Even my hubby (the preacherman) agreed. Anyway, this friend named Michele with one l usually just lurks, but I know she comes here....I can feel her presence...she left a comment! so.............all you other lurkers, please leave one...I get all giggly when I read them. okay, so I get all giggly normally, but I giggle louder...
My next step is to add my cute face up on top, and change the fonts a bit, so it feels right...it is working right now..so I will deal with it!

Did you know also those weird little boxes on the side of my blog, that say google ads are bringing in big pennies! ha ha..but every penny helps, so check them out and see if it is something you are interested, and remember that every click counts...EVERY single one...click, click, clickty click!
I almost completely forgot! The kit I ranted and raved about on my past blog!! I took the layout of Anna reading and made it into a QP, and Jenny told me I could give it away...so here it is! Remember the password is:

charlie <------> FREEBIE LINK

The kit is available from Digi Design Resort Shop now. Please go by the shop and see all the wonderful designs from Jenny K!
Can't wait to see all the comments you leave, just pop them right in that nifty keen-o comment box! woo hoo but if you can't leave a comment, click an ad! Support your local scrappers! :)

Happy With You!

Jenny said she was done creating for the year, but she got a bit crazy last week, had lots of mojo going and put together this amazing kit; Happy with You.... I was completely empty with Christmas and just the hustle and bustle of having kids home and just life, so I had opted out on doing a layout of this kit... Please click on preview to bring you right to Jenny's store at Digi Design Resorts. Also Jenny has a freebie QP made from this kit on her blog. Then Christmas eve, my Anna-Bo was reading her 2nd or 3rd book for the day...and I got the camera and took tons of pictures of her...she loves the camera!! ha ha I put them on the computer to clear up for Christmas morning, and loved how they turned out...so I pulled up Jenny's kit and played and had such a good time! I had to finish the layout this morning! If you can't read the journaling in the preview here it is:

Anna can always be found with a book.

On Christmas Eve she is found the happiest

Curled up in Dad's chair reading.

This is a miracle as her eyesight was so bad.

Wrong prescriptions for her eyes and finally a good eye doctor.

Now she can see the words and she won't stop!

I love to watch my children read. Some of my favorite times in our home is when all 6 of us are curled up somewhere in the living room with books.

I hope your Christmas was lovely and can't wait to begin the New Year with new things!

Product Recommendation

I have struggled to get my 4 kids to memorize math facts, especially multiplication. I am not a home school mom, but I am a mom who schools her kids at home...lol...which means I send my kids to public (albeit a charter) school. When they get home or have holidays (we are on a 3 week one now). I take opportunity of the time to reemphasize things I see that are lacking.

I started yesterday and had a plan...girls Science (using school curriculum and solar system). I was the earth and we orbited my kitchen dining room and the light over the stove was the sun! I will have you know I was also rotating on my axis. I almost puked from being dizzy, next time I will be Pluto! ha ha The girls were so cute following me in the orbit! We had a blast.

Now in between my 2nd son, Gman was STRUGGLING again with 2 digit multiplication. We have gone over and over this...I mean pages and he would get it and out the ears it would go! I have him do the problems on graph paper due to his horrible sloppy math writing. (this I really believe was due to his eye problems, but we have a handle on that now, so I am a task master now). After going over a few problems, again and again. We broke it down by steps and he knows the concept, the main problem being his multiplication! It it is 7x4, he writes out 7+7 til he gets 4 times? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, no way Jose'! I told him and the girls, and my oldest if he is game(he is 12 and has a good handle, but could use the help too) that my goal is by Jan 12, 2009 (back to school day) they would know their multiplications.

I went to my hubby and asked for money if it is needed...he totally agreed! I started searching on line...saved lots of worksheets (which I will still use) from Math Drills. Than I found this amazing site. The whole reason for this post.

BigBRAINz is the site, and it has a game for learning multiplication. The game is TimezAttack. There is a preview for the game...oh my gosh....I had Gman sit next to me to watch the preview! He was glued to it! There is a full game you can buy for $39.95 (if you refer 4 people (on honor system) you get $10.00 off. I have linked the picture or go to BigBrains

But wait.......................................

There is a free 30 day demo! FREE and full demo, the one that cost has some extra features and things to do for fun, different rooms etc. We downloaded last night. It goes from numbers 2-12 and Gman and the twins all conquered the 2's. (my oldest has a tummy virus, so he is a bit blah, but is going to challenge the levels to see if he can do without doing the actual game, but has to wait til we get to the numbers he is weak in).

This is a fast moving game, hilarious...the orge scratches his butt, which sends my kids into giggle fits. It works long term and short term memory and it is fun, my hubby and I watched Gman thru the whole first level. I wanted to recommend to you that struggle with this for your kids. It is free and it is so fun. We told the kids if they beat all the way to the 12 orge, we would buy the whole game with the added things which they saw in the video, lava room, big crawlie spiders and adventures!
We are on to 3's today, 4's Christmas eve and I told them, if they are good they can play it on Christmas and try the 5's but that depended on how the day went....they want to play this game! Please at least look at the preview game with your kids next to you...
When my son Gman yelled yes after getting the answers right and was mumbling the right answer after he got the answer wrong....I was sold!

Gotta tell you about this!

A year ago, my friend Christine and I sat in her dining room, with my laptop and external drive, and I taught her elements as she made her Christmas card as her first layout...we both knew I was leaving soon, we didn't know where. My husband wanted to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our pastor and church (Christine also goes there) were prepared to send us. Life began getting crazy with packing on my end and Christine started homeschooling both her kids...
We wound up moving to northern California, and she stayed in southern New Mexico.
We finally got settled in and I wanted to rekindle the scrapbooking I had done in New Mexico and keep in touch via an old blog I had used when scrapbooking prior. Christine started blogging did a challenge to make a layout with color selection...I did it and became hooked to the digi world of scrapping and the people in it. I jumped in, and started learning more, and watched the layouts of my dear friend known in the digi world as Alamama. I have seen the talent of Alamama for years. She pours her heart into the things she does. Her mind is full of things that need to be seen, because they are original and beautiful.
We joke about her creativity and my nuts and bolts of something...we are a good team, I can teach her things in a normal not over your head words...but using words like the squishy thing that gets bright and she understands...ha ha
Yesterday she did her first template, and it is awesome, I mean awesome. It had a few nuts and bolts on the techi side that I tightened, and her talent begins to be shown. Please pop over to her blog and pick it up....leave some love or better yet click on her ads...each ad click helps her to buy CU items that she can use to make more and better things!
I did a layout with this template from Carolyn Kite's beautiful kit Winter Wonderland. The rounded squares you see are not elements, but papers, that is how rich the papers look. I have linked the template preview with Alamama's blog; Pressed Petals. Go get the template and play with it! This is the first of many things to come from her! You hold on to it!
I am honored to have worked with her first template, but more honored to have her as a friend. Not a surface friend, but one who has seen me at my worst, best, saddest and happiest and has not given me "nice" words, but words I needed to hear. She prays for me and my family and has a vision for Jesus Christ that is tangible in her life. I love this lady and so hope you enjoy her talent!

Random Act of Kindness to ME!

I woke this morning early and sat with a cup of coffee (lovingly made by my dear hubby who goes to work early early). My cat trying desperately to warm her feet on my lap, fighting the laptop. I check my mail and pop into the CT forums or gallerys I am a part of in the am to help plan my day.

I remembered I wanted to put the Participant blinkie on my ever growing and irratating siggy at DST. I tell you I love these things. I had to stop applying for teams, because it is getting silly...lol

whew............

so I said all that to build up to what happened when I went to my user CP over at Digi Shop Talk (the Hub of all things Scrap), all of a sudden a message from Flergs pops up.

I am a cynic...and thought, oh Flerg is the designer of the month, it is probably an advertisement or something sent to everyone! I 0pened it and oh my goodness, see that preview!!! It is her new kit, she is giving it to me. Just because! It will not even be in the stores til this weekend and yet I have it and it is downloaded and ready to play with tonight! She gave it to me just because...random.

I was blown away and just sat there in awe.

For those who don't "get into" all this scrap stuff, Flerg is a pretty well known designer and in my opinion has "awesome" talent! I mean you go to the DST homepage and there is her picture.

I really enjoy scrapbooking, and meeting so many kind people in the world of scrapbooking has been fun! This was just a great thing that happened and I wanted to share it with you!

Please excuse my mess...

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
I'll fix it tomorrow

The old layout of the blog, I felt constrained. It was so tight feeling. I wanted to open it up a bit. I need to change some pictures and get ready for the new year! I really like the switch, having my testimony (my life being touched and changed by Jesus on the left top). This is the most important thing in my life, followed by my family and friends and then to the hobby of DigiScrapping!
The DigiScrapping world has kinda slowed with the holidays, but I am still busy scrapping and trying to get organized.

The Amazing DigiScrapping Race (ADSR)

I am so excited, my real life friend and fellow scrapper Alamama (her blog is Pressed Petals) is agreed to be my digi partner for the season 4 of the Great Digi Race! I don't really alot about it, but from what I have read, it looks like a blast! I have copied the blurb about it from the host site NDISB (Natural Designs in Scrapbooking):

The race is loosely based on the television show "The Amazing Race". Teams of two digital scrapbookers will weekly receive up to two challenges to be completed by the end of the week. Some of the challenges will be completed by each teammate separately, and some will be completed by the team together. Sometimes only one teammate will participate.The race will start on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 and run for 6 weeks. So that means there will be up to 12 challenges. For each challenge completed by the team, each teammate will receive gifts provided by the site sponsoring that particular challenge. There is no cost to join the race, and no purchase will be required at any site to continue in the race.


For those that complete all of the challenges, there will be a random drawing for a Grand Prize and perhaps some runner-up prizes (yet to be determined).Now for the good part (yes... it gets even better!):There is no judging!


This race is all about having fun, expanding your creative boundaries, and making friends.

That last line got me....having fun, expanding your creative boundries and making friends.....3 of my favorite things to do! So on top of it I learned how to make a blinkie! It is for Christine and my team! Don't laugh, oh okay laugh, it is funny!

Isn't that hilarious! I had never made one, but had a blast and spent way too much time doing it, as is usual with anything scrap related! So grab a partner and join up! It is going to be fun!

My Christmas shopping is done!!

One day, actually 4.5 hours. My Tony got off work at about 8:50 this morning and I had list in hand. We went to Walmart in Linda(close town-bigger walmart) for plans of McD's breakfast! aaaah...it has a Subway sandwich store...no breakfast! So we did speed shopping in there, we knew what we wanted and it was there! We missed the Burger King breakfast by minutes, so had an early lunch...ha ha...

Then to Kmart, Big-5, Big Lots, Target (woo woo employee discount), then to ToysRUs..(another woo woo to employee discount). Then to bank to deposit checks! We finished at J.C. Penneys, and quickly went to Dairy Queen for a MooLatte! ha ha....

We got home and layed all our spoils on the bed! We did it...a big high five and a collapse in the living room...

Tomorrow I wrap! We do random numbers on the gifts so they have no idea whose package is whose...such fun! I am feeling the Christmas spirit!

So now on to scrapping news...more free things, Anne surely you jest! Never, ever jest about free things. My first boss Charlie over at Charlie DigiScraps has the most awesome looking brags that are made from her new kit HIP HIP HOORAY! There are 13 of them, no you don't have to go there for 13 days, you can get every single one of them today! But wait...

tee hee I just wanted to type that...like in the commercials on TV...there's more...there is always more at Charlie's Blog! She has freebies galore and another link to a fellow CTmember..for her QP. So why are you still here? Click on the preview and go get it over at Charlie's blog...oh please please leave a bit of thanks to the woman...she works her fingers to the bone doing this...for a pittance, give her some love people!!!

Promised Freebie Page for YOU!

One of my favorite parts of being on a CT is making layouts with beautiful full kits. I bought a few here and there before (if it was a really good sale). I mean all the freebies out there, why buy a kit. Now I know why! Because the kits on sale are down right amazing. The elements go with the papers and it makes putting together that special memory so much easier. Right now Charlie is having a sale from the 15th of December until the 31st December..a huge 50 % off her entire STORE! So you can get it now for the best price!

Charlie's new kit Hip Hip Hooray is just like that, within 24 hours 2 layouts went together. This last one, I had so much fun doing the frame in the layout, I thought perhaps you might want it as a quick page. You can add your own title and date and plop in a picture and done. This QP can also be re sized easily for and 8x8 album. I do most of my printing in that size. Here is the download link for FREEBIE QP, and the password is: charlie . I hope you like it and would so love to hear if you like it. It is amazing how much a small hey, thanks is for me. I have made it as easy as I can, no words to input, just input the comment and hit enter. I am glad I am able to give back to the digi world.

I am learning more about actions (ways you manipulate pictures to make them stand out or retouch to take out shadows, etc) and the tutorials I watch, the man calls working with them Actionland and I become dictator of all the little actions...I laugh so hard thru his tutorials, that I learned. I will try and do a blog later on him, I found him thru Pioneer Woman.

This picture my kids are so tan and healthy looking, it is at the end of summer before church on Sunday. They are such a blessing to my life. I love being a mom, and even when they drive me bonkers, (3 weeks off for Christmas) I still remember that they made me a mom. I will stop, as I think I am getting a bit weepy...lol

Tony and I are Christmas shopping (completely) today! I will make the "list" and we will do Wal-Mart, Target and BigLots! Our favorite stores for Christmas. It is getting so close! I am so excited as my parents are coming for Boxing Day...the day after Christmas! They haven't been up here since we first got her, but one time to pick the kids up and leave. I want to show them my town and my home. I am proud of how far we have come since arriving here a few short months ago!

Hope you enjoy the freebie and take a break from the hecticness of Christmas, scrap a page and hug your family!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Charlie has a new kit! Filled with fun stuff for your layouts for the New Year....make a resolution to buy this kit, from SAS or Snap and Scrap! Great bargain for a full kit of fun! This kit has so much potential....I did two layouts already...I will post Monday another layout with a freeie QP of it, for you to make your own.
This layout is my Anna 5 years ago...it is our first Christmas with her and it was obvious she was going to be our "girly" girl...she played with make up at the hotel while the rest of us watched TV! She knows what is important! I love that I was able to get her looking in the big closet mirror...and those cheeks, gosh how I love age 4!

Come back Monday for a freebie! Enjoy your weekend and your family! Hope everyone is not going crazy for Christmas, remember it is a time to remember Jesus Christ and His precious gift of salvation through his birth, death and resurection!

С днем рождения Дженни!

С днем рождения Дженни!

That is Happy Birthday Jenny! One of the CT I am on is for Jenny K, and it's her birthday, she tried to be sly and slip it right by. For her birthday she is giving away a big freebie! So please go get the freebie and be a sweetie and wish her a happy birthday! She is so kind and a tremendous designer and very fun to create for! Click on the preview to go right to her blog!

Happy Birthday Jenny K! С днем рождения Дженни! Желаю всем приятных выходных и веселого новогоднего настроения!

I told you I would get a picture of our Christmas tree...this is two pages of just Eric and Anna putting up the lights...Christmas time is full of pictures and scrap pages to come. I played with these layouts thru the day. You can see the tree before and after lights. I am hoping after Christmas to have a book printed at ArtCow...$6.99 for 20 pages for 8X8 size and I want a Christmas book, so these two will be in it for sure. I am guest CTing for Nikki Painter (who just had a baby girl, not 2 weeks ago!) and this is made from her new kit; Christmas Present. I also used the frames from FafBr. We are going caroling tonight with the church from Oroville here at the Walmart! I am so excited about it! A great time to witness and so many people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! Afterwards they are all coming to our home for hot apple cider (has been simmering all afternoon) and cookies and fellowship. The house is ready and I am almost ready...still need a shower! ha ha

Fog rolls in!

The fog in the mornings here is so thick and beautiful. I drive the kids to school and we go by all these walnut orchards. The colors of the trees and the leaves that are remaining is a mix of haunting and gorgeous! I took the camera along the other day and after dropping the kids off I stopped and took a ton of pictures! This is one I loved, I played with some actions on the picture, learning the masking and how to use the black and white brushes to accent! I could spend hours on manipulating photos.I had applied and been accepted to a CT for actions with FafBr, and her stuff is beautiful, but not the type actions I was wanting to learn. She does these amazing actions, you hit the play in CS3 or 4 and bam, there is a frame...the frame in this picture is hers. I wanted to highlight it for her, as I am not able to stay on the CT...sadly. I hope you will go and see her designs...you can see the time and effort she puts into each one! Her designs are on sale at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking.

The rest of the layout is by JennyK, and her lovely kit Awash in Bronze. This kit draws me too it...I have all these thoughts about nature and am looking for the right words to do some word art...but so far nothing has inspired me to work on it! ha ha

My friend Wilma in Alamogordo sent me chocolate...not just Hersheys, but yummy chocolate that you can sit and relax and have it melt in your mouth! It is so good to have people in your life that think about you!

I almost forgot, Jenny has another freebie on her blog that goes with her Awash in Bronze kit. Pop over and get it and see the other amazing overlays. Click on the previes and it will bring you right to her blog.

I have been very busy with all the CT's and be watching my blog for exciting things to come!

101 Posts! Now a Freebie!

Jenny K Designs awesome new kit; Awash in Bronze is so much fun to work with that I did 4 brags and Jenny has graciously allowed me to give away to you! Not only do I have a freebie, but Jenny also has a freebie on her blog as a sampler to this wonderfully warm kit. Here is a preview of the sampler, click on it to bring you to her blog, and then go to DigiDesignResort and buy the whole kit! You can make more brags or "pimp" up the ones I made!

Please leave some thanks to Jenny

for all her hard work, as for

me I just arrange her beautiful work!

Here is your Brag Book Freebie Link

Enjoy your day and as always the password is: charlie

Nope, this isn't the Card!

We have a Christmas tree in the foyer where we meet for church. After the service we thought to take a whole bunch of pictures for Christmas cards. Oh did we laugh and giggle, but not one shot for a card. But because of the laughter and fun memories of the day, I wanted to capture it with a layout! I used Carolyn Kites add-on Shimmer that goes with her already huge Glam Christmas kit available now at SnT store! It is HUGE!
Wilma is the first to see it, because she sent chocolate to me! You know I have no scruples and will tell all and show all for chocolate....and coffee! Ha ha...

I have been nominated for Layout of the Week!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I have been nominated over at Snap and Scrap for layout of the week. They pick 4 or 5 layouts and the people vote! Gosh, I love this layout...and am so proud it is nominated...there are some lovely layouts up against it too... ha ha...but go look and vote!

I am so excited..tomorrow FREE stuff! Woo woo!

In case you didn't read the post below, which is all about the kit I used from Jenny K Designs...the whole layout was made possible from this kit...go get it! I am tellin' you, you will love it!

A way to get warm!

I have a dreadful cold, just aches and aches in my joints...growl...everything in me wants to curl up under a big thick blanket and box of tissues and sleep! Life is not scheduled for that in our home! ha ha

I went to Walmart this morning, to get cold meds, warm jackets for twins, Anna had lost her semi-warm one and it is wet and chilly out now!

I did our Christmas cards yesterday! No, you don't get a preview til I snail mail them! tee hee! I had a blast doin' them, Tony sat by me and we did them together...makes it fun!

I also had the chance to work with a new kit, that I was able to name! Jenny K, asked us to come up with names for her kit and she picked me! I was very flattered, but more excited to download this kit! It is warm and lovely. I played with summer time pictures and laughed about the days of picture! Abby loved the effect of her in the layout!

Jenny's kit is Awash in Bronze, and is available now at DigiDesignResort. Stay tuned for some word art (hopefully) on wisdom and smiles! I hope to have some brag book pages up for your summer time pictures made from this awesome kit. So warm up and buy this kit for a relaxing time scrapping those warm memories!

Please let me know if you are interested in brags or a theme for word art...I am all caught up with my CT's~so would love a challenge!

Totally blown away by this kit!

I opened this kit and was amazed. I mean it was like a huge party with tons of people bring presents and they all went together! I am not joking! There are folders inside folders...for elements broke down in ribbons, and mats and frames and more! Take a look at what you recieve with this kit:

(click on pic to take you right to the store) Attachments:
Clip (painted or with small notepaper)
Metal Brad
4 Flair Buttons
2 Hinges (large and small) and matching screw
Stapled Ribbon Tie
Patterned Duct Tape
Flowers & Bows & Ribbons:
4 Bow Flowers (blue, green, red & white)
1 Red Ribbon Bow
3 Tied Ribbons (red, green & blue)
Twill Ribbon with Season Wording (straight)
Twill Ribbon with Season Wording (bent)
3 Curled Scallop Ribbons (blue, green & red)
1 White String Loop
1 Blue Tied String Bead String
Frames & Swirls:
2 Corner Flourishes
2 Acrylic Frames (circle and rectangular)
1 Scalloped Glitter Frame
Snow Play:
Magic Snow Corner Flourish
Snow Squall
Snow Scene
Overlay of Falling Flakes
Overlay of a Snowy Edge
Snow Covered Sign Post
2 Glitter Snow Flakes
1 Acrlyic Snow Flake
3 Cut Snow Flakes
Pat, the Pitter Patter Penguin (dressed and not dressed)
Hat
Scarf
Mats & More:
Felt Circle Felt Lace (large sized)
Glitter Label
3 Journaling Mats (green, red & blue)
Glitter Bulb
Flake Edged Note Paper
Shapes:
Bulb
Snowflake
Small Circle Swirl
Alphabets – Create titles with 2 alphabets, in red and green.
Each alphabet includes letters in uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters.
Plus 2 folders of papers! I mean it is full, full, full!
I am so excited to be on Doris Castle's CT. The members are funny and very supportive. I kinda freaked, because the kit is featured on the home page of DST and when I post my layouts, everyone will see it....I spent all afternoon looking at one layout...have made it and taken it apart so many times...
I hope to have at least one to upload tomorrow....

on the homefront, I made the most awesome fajitas tonite...we finally figured out how to make the tortillas taste better here (other than me making from scratch). We BBQ them! Seriously! I take 12 tortillas from the store and grill them and they are yummy! Silly Californians, don't cook their tortillas! ha ha!
Tomorrow, a full day, people for dinner and I have the most awesome milk butter rolls, that actually come out soft. I made 24 today, and 12 disapeared rather quick!
It is wicked wet cold out for me! I need to aclimate to the humid cool weather soon!
ohhhhhhhhhhhh! We might have a Christmas tree tomorrow!!! For Free! will let you know! I am so excited...I can't keep a secret to save my life!

Some little extra things to make your layouts perfect!

How Charlie do it, knowing it is summer over in Australia! Charlie has made the cutest snowflake elements. They are available now at SAS store! Charlie is the most encouraging woman to me in scrapland. Every time I have been asked to be on another CT, she leaves a little comment for me that just makes me beam all over again. Her guidance has really helped me so much learn

the "other" side of scrapping...lol! Pop over to her blog, because she always has something going on! While you are there leave a cheery message for her!

I move to another continent! North America(Canada) for my dear sweet Jenny!

she has been busy too...there are some CU (commercial use) templates that are so beautiful available at DigiDesignResort. She also has some Alpha's available that can go with the Sweet Christmas kit! This kit gets bigger every day!

Then I got RAKed from DST! I was so excited and happy! I got this lovely kit... Snowberry Punch from Kiki Halbert and have it all ready to play with tonight! I want to do a layout to send back to her with a great big thank you! I will search out her store and publish later, she deserves credit for such kindness!

Added later in evening...Kiki Halbert Designs are available Plain Digital Wrapper Store. I just went by her blog! The kit is on big sale! She has some righteous good prices and the color palette she uses in her kits is very rich! Please pop over and see!

There is so much to blog about in the scrappin' world!

Okay! First off...we just came from opthomologist(big name for eye doctor). Gabriel, my 10 year old son had some major issues come up with his eyes...we have struggled with reading and school because of it...I have had to read the book to him at home(his comprehension is awesome) and his writing was horrible. He got a new prescription for glasses and it has been a good thing...But the doc thought he had prior damage in his optical nerve....lots of test over the past month...and today the doc said he is okay....wants to do one more test just to clear it all up...but feels rather comfy saying he is gonna be okay! whew...

Then scrap news...I have been sending application letters to CT's, new and established. I figure if there designs are "scrapable" I can scrap 'em...lol

So I already told you about Doris Castle...she is so sweet and her team is fantastic! One lady actually lives in my town too! (see previous blog).

Then Sunday evening Carolyn Kite from Scrap-n-Tag invited me for her CT! I am on a month trial and I plan on working as hard as I do for Charlie and Jenny and hope to stay on! She has a beautiful kit; Glam Season and it is available at her store; Scrap-n-Tag. I downloaded it yesterday and did one layout last night and another this morning...was a dream to play with...

I thought you would be amazed to actually see me in a layout! ha ha...and you know me, the humble one, but gosh I thought I looked rather smart in that outfit and the kit just went together, but it is way weird to look at yourself for hours when you are doing a layout! ha ha

The twins got to be part of a fun layout with a new technique, after extracting, magic brush and feathering...it so helps the extracted thing blend better! I have a few books from the library here I am devouring on elements! Expect new things in the future!

I am done applying as I want to be able to do my best for each designer.

It's a small world!

Okay, I think this is totally wow! I know, I know, I think most things are totally wow, but with an attitude like mine, ya' find yourself smiling alot too! I have been totally blown away at the far reaching tendrils (cool words huh?) of scrapbooking. I mean just look at the feed on my blog, people from Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, Singapore, parts of Russia I sadly didn't even know existed. I look at the flags and am amazed at the countries represented by ladies with the hobby of scrapbooking.

So imagine my surprise when I am invited to a new CT and am introduced to the rest of the team members via email and I recieve an email back that says this:

I was just at your blog....

We might be neighbors!!!

Im in south YC

I'm thinking no way, I live in south YC! I was a bit wow, this is wierd then another from same lady, that she grew up in Napa (my hometown)! I mean the largeness of the world is brought right to my neighborhood!

I love the orchastration of life, and since ya'll know I am totally amazement of the orchastrator(my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ). I was blown away by it...and well you know me...I share these thoughts!

I have to finish rearranging my living room and dusting it and vacumning before taking kids to school. Tony gets off his 1st job at 8ish and will want to pray and study a bit before his 2nd job which starts at 11am.

I am going to rush thru the house and then try and do a flyer for my sweet Vanessa....I am gonna do it Freddie, I promise!

Hope you are all recovering from Thanksgiving and ready for the Christmas season!

Just a layout! and a bit of news!

This is an old picture of Anna and me. We are in San Diego. I had forgotten about it...I am trying to figure out masking...and wanted to do actions (just figured out how to load in PSE5, because Adobe CS is overwhelming me). Actions for those going what are you doing now Anne? It is when you are working with the program, manipulating the picture, changing contrast, or colors etc....another person has taken these manipulations, stored them and then packaged all together as an action. You click on the "action" and it does all the manipulations...boom boom. CoffeeShop has so many different ways to change a picture. I have been trying to use CS4 and then save it and bring into elements...but I figured out how to get it in the application folder in Elements! I feel so smart!

So, then masking, what is it? Putting a mask over what you don't want to change or over what you do want to change. I haven't figured it out yet...see so I am not as smart as I thought I was...God is helping me with humble...ha ha,

so I cheated! I wanted that cut up look I have been seeing in the gallery's...so I used my shapes...the crop ones, made a grungy looking shape. Then used the magic brush(I am so loving the magic brush) and highlighted it(marching ants) and copied and cut it out of the paper! ha ha that is it! it looks like I cut the picture, but I cut the paper! the picture is actually behind it, like a QP.

I got the look I wanted, then did the action on the picture (vivid action) and then it all came together with the help of an awesome kit by Charlie! Fantasy Dreams, available at SAS or Snap and Scrap!

for those who wonder....I have another CT! It is one I have had my fingers crossed on and I am still a bit in oh my gosh, what did I do...cause I went and looked at the other peoples gallery's, I mean wow, this is stuff for art museums, not scrapbooks...some amazing stuff.

I have that nagging fear of this little orange pumpkin I was so proud of in 8th grade. I made it in pottery class, and was so proud of it, I mixed the glazes and got a cool looking brown with a bit of an orange look to it and a smart looking green leaf on the stem...I loved this little pumpkin, so I entered it into the VIC expo( a competition for public school art). My whole family went to the fairgrounds to see my first public display of art...the place was HUGE, and the talent...oh my GAWD...there were bust of David and Michelangelo's statues...my little pumpkin, looked so pathetic...I just wanted to put it in a bag and slink away....my family of course ranted and raved about my pumpkin....

But I am gonna put my fears away...and learn from these ladies...I love scrapping, it is fun and a great hobby for me...and they are all kind...so I will tell you...

I have been invited to CT for Doris Castle! I just found out this evening, and just looking at her beautiful designs, I can't wait to begin!

Please Say Thanks with Me

Freedom is never Free
I just sent one of these...well actually Xerox did it for me...I know I don't get a whole lot of thank you in the comments. But could you maybe take a little time and send a thank you to the men and woman overseas? That would mean so much to them and be such a small amount of your time!?!
Thanks, enjoy the freebies!

Wow! Some of you get up early!

You are seeing right! Word art in Russian! I have told you before how excited I am to work with people ALL over the world in digi-scrapping. People globally wanting to capture memories of their lives thru pictures and display them for all to see! JennyK finished her HUGE kit last week and still wasn't satisfied with it, she wanted to put word art in it, but the language translations sometimes don't go right. I tried to write a compliment and put it thru an on-line Russian translation and it was all wrong. But Jenny has much patience with me! ha ha I volunteered to make some word art. What fun and a big thank you to Misty Cato for her great tutorials! I am telling you if I can learn this stuff, so can you!!!

Jenny has a free download on her blog for the Russian word art, click here or on the Russian word art. Go and tell Jenny hello and a thank you. She speaks English also, but you can always cut and paste спасибо Дженни which is thank you in Russian! Her wonderful kit; Sweet Christmas is available at DigiDesignResort or AhhhScrap now! The word arts are made from this kit, so compliment each other!

I told you I had in one day made two layouts with Sweet Christmas, the one of my oldest son is here! If you like it let me know and I will make a quick page for you to drop in your own picture and title!

I am up so early, because my hubby works very early in morning and I am going to try and clean my house before he gets home at 8am! My husband works 4am to 8am at Target unloading trucks because his full-time job is a Pastor! He needs to study today and the kids are home, so I try to make the house a refuge for him. Tonight we have a bible study and are so hoping and praying for the new converts this past week to show up and have Jesus touch their lives. We are also having a couple that pastor in neighboring town for Thanksgiving (this Thursday in America). My girls are learning today how to make pumpkin pie and my boys will make chocolate chip cookies! I will take lots of pictures and probably use Jenny's kit again!

I hope you enjoy the word art, password is charlie (the awesome lady that gave me my first chance at a creative team) and here is the link for the freebie or click the preview for the word art!

freebies-freebies-freebies!

Life with 2 Creative Teams is full! I have spent the day with my boys and me doin' prep work for Thanksgiving and catch up with previews and scrapping! I did 2 layouts! woo woo

But I wanted to come in and give you all an update to the lovely brag book pages! There were 13 given away free from Charlie, and Caryn (also on the CT for Charlie) has one more on her blog.

Charlie took a chance with me (a complete unknown, never on a CT before) and I am so grateful for in 2 short months how much I have learned! If you are scrapping and wanting to push yourself a little more, apply to a new designer and take a chance! It is a blast!

Charlie is a giving lady, her kits almost always have a huge freebie involved with them and are packed to the gills with papers and elements.

Charlie's latest (all of us on her CT believe she must get extra hours in the down under of Australia) amazement is this calendar set! It is just perfect for a quick gift...you can buy it right now, in the SAS store, download it and add pictures tonight. Print it and send it all before December arrives. Check off all those names on your list! But wait! In Charlie style, there is a freebie for December available now at her blog...so you can start the calendar off right now!

Go to Charlie's Blog and see the freebie and then go get that calendar. I know every year you say, I should make one, this year it is done for you. It's fast, it's easy and you get December's calendar free! You would have to buy 6 or more kits to make this yourself! Click on the preview and you go right to the store over at Stone Accent Studio. It doesn't get any easier!

Just like a kid at Christmas!

I have the giggles, because Jenny is so excited about her new kit, she pushed up the store revealing! This kit is so full of fun things! I am a big fan of sparkle and it does sparkle!

I made on layout so far and had another that poofed off the computer to never never land, but I am determined to do it over and more! The kit has so much to choose from. The papers are textured so elegantly! I am loving the papers more and more!

If you use templates, this kit would be fun to play with, as the papers all compliment so well. Then with the large amount of elements, you could decorate and cluster to your hearts desire!

Jenny is selling her kit in two stores: DigiDesignResort and AhhhScrap, so no lines!

Enjoy them and here is a layout I did with it! It is my twin girls staring at the top of the Christmas trees a few years ago. But they have such anticipation of Christmas.

We spent this past weekend with my parents....and my mom did Thanksgiving, my birthday and decorating Christmas all in 24 hours! So I took some pictures and hope to use this kit and do some more layouts!

There will be a freebie add-on coming so bookmark and come back!

I am 45 years old today and Charlie has a freebie for you

Yep! It's my birthday!

I love birthdays...my precious children already gave me a huge chocolate bar of my very favorite Symphony! I plan on snacking on it thru the day...a good breakfast!
I opened my email this morning and the scrapping world had filled my in box with Happy Birthday wishes! Then my first CT boss Charlie gave a lovely gift to all her team members, so it was like a birthday present too! Jenny had a thread dedicated to my birthday wishes and it made me smile!
I wanted to let you know about a FREEBIE over at Charlie's Blog! It is brags 13! of them! All made with her new kit Fantasy Dreams available at SAS or Snap & crap Stores!
Download here at Charlie's Blog


My hubby is taking the kids to school for me today, and I have the whole day to play...I am a bit sick, so a nap is on the agenda, but scrapping for fun will be a big part of the day!
I wanted to share a layout I spent days on...I had it done last week, but kept reading books on softening and extracting, and played with it for about 3 days. It is my sweet Abby, sound asleep on a bed made by the kit Charlie produced: Fantasy Dreams.
The kit is so soft and silky and the other CTM just made the most amazing layouts!

Please be inspired and take a look, you will see them and not believe how versitile this kit is! I saw the satin flowing papers and knew I had to find a way to use them...they look just like a rumpled bed! I am learning new things with softening and the magic brush is my friend! ha ha
Jenny has a new kit in the works to come out this Friday! I will be playing with it today and hope to have some fun add-ons for you also! Stay tuned!