Join me over at TDC and Get It Scrapped!!

This weekend we will be scrapping along with all the Boutique Collabs that have been released this year. Each challenge will feature a kit and will be based on a theme having to do with that kit. We hope you enjoy using these fantastic kits to make some beautiful pages for your albums--because that's what this weekend is all about: Getting it Scrapped!

Now, if you check out the Boutique Collabs section of the store, you'll notice that all the collabs from this year are currently 50% off! That's because we wanted to make things easy on you, if you didn't already own one of these kits--you can pick one up at a significant discount!

If you scrap along with all eight challenges this weekend and you use each particular collab for each particular challenge (and meet any other requirements for that challenge as well) and you upload your layout and post your links before midnight (EST) on Monday, August 29th, then you will be entered into our Grand Prize drawing for:

• A $20.00 Gift Certificate to the shop;
• Each of the Four Boutique Collabs for the remainder of this year (Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.) for free in advance of their release date (a $30.00 value);
• And a Gift Certificate for $20.00 to Shutterfly!

All scrappers who have met all the requirements for this weekend's challenges will be entered to win in a random drawing. The winner will be selected and announced Tuesday evening (08/30/11).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY: If you do not currently own all of the Boutique Collabs and you would like to scrap along with our eight challenges using other products from Digichick, you will still be eligible for the Shutterfly drawing.

You must meet all other requirements for the challenge and post your links before the deadline. Items used must be still available for sale in the shop (meaning you cannot use items from a designer who left our store three years ago, even if you purchased the item here--it must be currently available at the Digichick for you to be eligible for the drawing). You must use 100% TDC goodies on your layouts to be eligible to win.

And if you just love a good challenge and want to play along for the fun of it, you've come to the right place! Feel free to do that as well!

We hope you enjoy this weekend full of scrapping!

Creshens, Paula and Cat Scrap has birthday...lovely!!

I am on Miss Paula Kesselrings team, and she came out with this mega huge explosion of color....(put your sunglasses on bright) kit called Party Time!  It has 25 papers and 171 elements!!!!! and an alpha!!  Whew! that is bright?  I could not get over all the fun things inside this kit!

You would be happy with it.  I told Paula and the ladies on the team, this is the ONLY kit you will ever need for a party. 

I used it to make a page for a surprise party that was done for our children.  It was  going away party for them as we left California.  I love the looks on the their faces!

I have been bopping around the Catscrap forums, to be an involved CT member for Paula, and playing games here and there, and I got RAKED by Creshens! I was so excited!! She gave me one of her kits and the Collab for the month called Milestone! I was able to play for one of their challenges and do another page on my list for Yuba City.  This one is us crossing off things we wanted to do before leaving.  The walk across both bridges. 

Then I used some more of Creshen's Torn Bits.  These are by far my favorite type frames for that change it up kinda page! I had read the DigiDare for the week and was determined to get 'er done!  I took lots of pics Saturday morning, and then I used the Milestone kit again along with Lisa Sisneros font called Dear Mom, I like the font, cause it really looks like my handwriting! I got a way cool coupon from the interview of Lisa on The Digi Dare site too! So I was able to pick up this cool Art Junk brush alpha, I have been really loving the look of brushes as alphas lately too!  I had fun, and did so many layers I had to stop! haha:

That's it for Catscrap fun, tomorrow some Pickle Berry Pop adventure!

The Digi Chick brings the mojo!

I have been busy busy with all the fun new releases over at the Digi Chick! I mean these gals are going all out to keep me hopping!
Last week, Etc by Danyale had the coolest mini kit, called Handle Bar-bershop The kit is sweet and had these little mustaches, that I loved!
My hubby has had for the past 22 years a mustache, and a few months ago, he shaved it off.  No noticed, nothing! We all loved it.  It is so strange now to see photos with hair on his lip! ha ha,
So here is the page:

 Next up, my addiction is coffee, I know it, it isn't a problem.  REally, it isn't.  Hey, now back off, did you hear me? I said IT ISN"T A PROBLEM!!! okay? bhahahhaa
My friend Julie (itis) of the Sherwood Studio Designs did this kit...Coffee Time.  Yeah, she went there.  So I had to get it, and play.  But I needed coffee and I wanted carbs!  We went up the mountain, and there we saw the most glorious place: Cinnabon {insert angels singing and harps}! Yeah, it is that good! So I took the Coffee Time
bundle cause you never know whose coffee might be your next cup and then some fun photos of my carb binge and laughed as I made a page for Julie to sell enough kits to keep her in supply of fresh ground stuff!

That's the Digi Chicks new releases for last week, I will do some pages tomorrow from Catscrap and mixed in with Tangie goodness!

Introducing the Amazing Buster!! but first the whole day.....

Last week a Yorkie Male came up available on Holloman Yard Sales.  We contacted them, and we were too late, another woman was on her way for interview and pick up Buster. Bummer.
Then Sunday, Buster's "dad" contacted us and he wasn't sure if it was gonna work for Buster.  Oh we were all doing the happy dance.  The lady wanted to give one more day to see  if Buster would fit with her dog.

Abby out the chute first, big ol' cheesy grin

So, this morning, was the last day of summer vacation, and we didn't want to sit around the house.  The kids did the yard, and got all their laundry ready for school.  We decided to go up the mountain and play around Ruidoso!
Took the kids to go carts, and for the first time all four could drive all by themselves! It was so fun to watch them! You can click on the pics and they will get bigger? I think!

Anna came second she was a bit more timid, and didn't really get top speed.  Her and Abby both would duck their heads to go in the tunnel. That had me rolling.  My daughters are dorks!

Eric quickly passed Anna, and then Gabriel, who was not amused at that!  I don't think Eric even used his brake pedal, he was flying around the corners.  Probably all the hours spent driving my van and Dad's truck.
**insert here, Eric has his learner's permit and is driving whenever possible now**
Gabriel tried so hard to pass Abby, she would not let him by.  We could see the determination in G's face, and the pure joy in Abby's:

The people running it let them go for a while, and it was a really good time, they took the final lap and went into the garage.  Eric, then Gabe, Anna, and Abby came in and the man is yelling BRAKE! BRAKE! Abby is used to electric bumper cars, where the machine just come to a stop.  So she drove straight into them all. BAM!! Whiplash extraordinaire! Lots of laughter and more excitement about how fun it was.  We decided to keep going past Ruidoso and go see Bonita Lake. We have had so much rain, we hoped it would be full.  We had heard that it was really low. 

It was wicked low! Where the kids and Tony are standing is usually under water! There were a few people fishing and it was HOT! I mean, stagnant hot.  There had just been a bit of a rain storm go through, so the humidity was high.  There were carp just sitting in the lake.  The looked so lazy...Gman wanted to of course use his bow and arrows.  We were smart and didn't bring them, as our G fancies himself quite the nature man, and thinks Bear Grills could learn a thing or two from him, but that is another blog post.

Gabe run down to the water, then back up and then balanced on the wooden fence.  The boy has no energy depletion. 
**he starts football tomorrow, and we are gonna enjoy his stories of the torment the coaches put them through**

 It is now 3ish, I need coffee! 
Back to the town, and we had spotted on the way up a CinnAbon!

I was gonna devour that mass of carbs and sugar along with a coffee of delight!  Anna, Tony and Eric all decided to go with the Cinnabon, G and Abby had Frappe Mocha for G and caramel for Abs.

It was beyond delectable! Hot gooey mess of yumminess! Everyone was happy. I was delirious. Tony jokingly said we better hurry down the mountain before the sugar wore off.  But we had shops to go into.  The kids did not remember Ruidoso at all.  So we went to a few weird ones, and then the candle store.  I love this place, the lady is real nice.  We bought a Yankee smell goodie.  A diffuser with Sun&Sand aroma.  It is like fresh with a tinge of coppertone lotion! Love it!
Then we head for home, no, wait, just one more bathroom stop! Now down the mountain.  We rocked out to Judas Kiss at the highest setting a few times, and cruised into town.
The owners of Buster called.  The lady could not keep Buster, could they bring him to our house? Tony quieted the kids, as I talked with them, giving him our address and directions to our home.  Yes, thank you, see you in about a half and hour.  Click.
A huge scream of YES! Arm pumping and happy noises! Oh we so wanted another dog, and a Yorkie named Buster was exactly what we needed.
They came over and we were smitten, in love and in laughter at Buster and his antics.  Boo was okay, but hey, Boo is a timid dog and not a lover.  Buster will love ya like forever.  The two dogs played and we visited and learned all the fun things of Buster. He does tricks, loves rice and is just a fun baby! After a long visit, the owners, the momma so sad for her, her heart is broke, left and I just wanted to hug her and make it stop, but we know that ache of giving an animal away. 
Here is Buster:

and here is Boo with Buster. The are really fun together, a few growls of play, a snip here and there, but they lay together, and run after toys together.  I love to see them play.

We are pretty excited to add Buster to the family, and look forward to many years of adventures with Buster and Boo!

Street Children of Nepal

Viva Artistry created this kit; Katmandu Love Charity

to benefit the street children of Nepal/Tibet via SEWA, a foundation of volunteers who bring assistance to Nepal. The Vi part of The ViVas (Vivienne) former neighbor is an amazing man named Harry who helps those in need in whatever way he can. He takes handicapped people on unique tours of Nepal and Tibet, he helps an orpanage in Katmandu with support for daily supplies. He even helped to develop a hotel in the area which can handle handicapped people (http://www.kathmandu-sightseeing.com/). He told Vi once of a blind man he guided throughout the region and how he had to explain the views and sights. Harry gave Vi many of the images that we used in this kit. All proceeds will go to SEWA (http://sewaconnected.org/). Check their site to see what they are doing.

 I made this page for the ViVa's after downloading the kit, and then going and researching the abuse of the street children in Nepal.  I was blown away, it hurt my heart as a mom to adopted children out of foster care, I know abuse first hand, but their is not much hope for these children, and that is sad. 

Please join me ....

FIRST Journaling challenge at The Digi Chicks!
well my first one hosting...shhh, but it goes with my theme!

I am hoping to really stir you to pick up that pen and paper,

or stare at those letters on your keyboard and start clicking.

FIRST!
1st

What comes immediately to your mind??? I went and found some images from my dear friend Google! These are just to stir you, not set in stone. You can see the picture of the chicken and the egg? Which came first? I was thinking in scrap pages, sometimes we put the picture first, over the journaling. ! Sometimes words are the hardest on a page, so I am gonna ask you to try something this month a bit different.

Let’s do the journaling first.

Don’t worry about a photo, just get those words out. There is not a minimum or a maximum, they are YOUR words.

Make a text box and just start writing.

Here are a few opening lines you can choose from if you wish:

I remember the first time I …………………………………
The first day …..
My first paycheck…..
The first move was…
Our first house…..
First off, …….

It does NOT have to be about you, it can be about someone else also. But let’s try and get that word first into your journaling and try to do that first!

You can then play and add elements at will, if you have a picture or more to add, please do so!!
If you are a template addict, try and add that journaling box prior to gathering your fun things.

Here is my example to show you what came first in my head:

I played with Wendy Page's Summer Funk

Please if you have any questions, leave them on the forum thread and I will answer to the best of my ability!! I am really excited and so hope you play with me!

Heavy heart, but our dog went back.

A bit of craziness,but Tessie had to go back to her home.  We drove her to the gate of White Sands yesterday to return her.  She was fitting right in, but there was blood in her urine, and at this time in our finances, having a dog with medical issues is not feasible.
We are still looking for another one, but will wait until hubby is employed full time. 

True Love Waits

I opened this kit; Love in the Park by eNKay Designs and just pondered.  Nathalie is a new to me designer and I love the crispness and bright feel to her designs. 
There were a few elements I knew without a doubt I was going to use, the clouds and the remarkable word art in the ink splots.  I love the backwards LOVE and the feel to it.  I doodled and played and really planned on putting a photo in her gorgeous red frame, but I needed something...and the phrase true love waits popped in my head.  This is a commitment of purity til marriage,  that I believe will bless marriages and others.  The media and others tell us to go for it.  I know different.  I have seen the ravaged emotional lives of those that didn't wait.  I know this is just a page on a scrapbook blog, but it is a truth that I hope others will grab.

~never lose your joy!

Zero Rules in Art Journaling! and blantant beg to Holliewood Studios!

First the announcement!!!

 Paula Kesselring asked me to be on her team!! I have spent most of my allowance on her designs and now I get them for FREE! I said YES, oh YES, then made a page immediately! hahah
You know I was wanting it to be like a butt kicker of a page, the first impressions and all! oh I saw
Paula's  wicked cool Summer Beach,
 and it has all the fun things you would expect in a beach kit, but it has the best Beach Babe! I feel in love with her, as we have the same girlish figure, so here she is in all her glory:

Doesn't that make you just giggle?
Then the DigiDare Devilish Diva's threw down this gauntlet for the Dare this week!  I saw some fun things in Paula's store over at Catscrap! Just go through the store and grab!!I also used some of my stash from the wickedly talented Holliewood Studios, whom I pay for kits, unless she finds it in her heart to have me as a CT one day! hint hint!! See, lookie, I even linked to you HOllie, you need me!!

So go laugh, create and get out of the box!

Dog, , dog, dog, wow!

Okay, we talked about a dog on returning to Alamo, and figured after a few months we would settle in and find the right dog.  So, about a week here, I found a FREE little dog, named Boo. 

 

Under all that fur is a yorkie, poodle.  She is a fluff ball, and I know she has eyes.  We took her last week to get groomed, and we had to go way short to get all the mats out, but she is so tiny:

Oh I could just roll laughing at the difference! 

Then yesterday, another dog shows up for adoption. This time it was a miniature schnauzer. I talked with the owner for a long time, and we set up a foster for the day.  We picked up Tessie (all 13 pounds of her chubby self) from McDonalds this morning and brought her home.  She is doing great. 

Boo is tolerating her at this moment.  But they are enjoying life. Tessa has one ear that stays down and the other is straight up, it makes me laugh so hard:

Boo and Tessie are doing fine.  Tessie pees about 12 times outside and Boo runs behind and pees in same spot. They should be friends soon, or dehydrate in the process? haha

Bha ha, look at Tessie's ear? Hilarious! The foster time is now ended and Tessie has found a forever home.

Back to School! Pencils, paper and LOCKS???

Oh boy, school supplies! I finally have enough glue and crayons from deals over the past few years of hoarding, and now my kids are in Mid and High School, and don't need them! They need LOCKS? ha ha, I don't know why this makes me laugh, but it does, and since my shopping cart is filled with notebooks and folders I need to laugh. So when The Digi Chicks showed their new collab for August; A is for Apple, 
I knew how I could get this memory down for our 2011 book:

I set to playing with all the goodies, and had a down right blast doing so! Here is the beginning of our back to school memories for 2011/12 School Year!