Happy late thanksgiving!!!

It has been a whirlwind month i swear. Im still praying next month will be calmer! I hope everyone had a super happy thanksgiving with family and friends! I spent it with my mom and husband. we had a nice relaxing quiet time with way too much food! Last weekend we went to visit Jeffs sister in the country. It was so nice and quiet i kinda wanna move there. Do you think a town with 1000 people can handle me??? Prob not im kinda out there!
I really thought i uploaded this lo already, but i guess i didnt. It makes me happy!!! I used pretty much everything from the Kenner Road kit. KLs kits make me smile!! I just got my new one in the mail, Drool Drool Drool!!!!!! I finally canceled my Scarlet lime kit subscription. I really liked the kits at first but they took a diff turn. Im currently on the look out for a new kit club. If you have any suggestions leave it in the comments!!!!

Dream Big!!!

This lo came together quick, and was so much fun. The doodle paper is by Rusty Pickle(Pop Star Collection) and so are the stickers. Aren't they cute!!! This is a pic of one of my first days of school(one of many first days lol). I really liked the pic and i have been wanting to use this paper forever! I colored the words in with Prisma colored pencils. Super simple, the whole thing took me maybe 15 min to complete!!! Im gonna try and scrap tonight after work. I just wish my studio was clean. I actually got some sleep last night for a change. Im super excited about that! What else???? Oh i have been on Etsy a ton lately trying to find someone to make curtains for my house. I found this sweet lady, who makes the cutest aprons! Her ideas and sketches have been fabulous!!! other then that not much going on here but work work work. This weekend(our weekends are Sun-Tues) were going to ikea to "look" at a bunch of stuff. Little does hubs know, were buying half the store. We have been slacking on fixing up the house since i started working. I swear theres not near enough hours in the day. I hope you guys have a fabulous day!
Tip of the day: Scared to doodle? Dont know where to start? Buy some paper like the one above, or Love Elsie, Or this one and trace over it with tracing paper. I do this allot, because im not the worlds best artist. It gives your hands an idea on what to do! Sometimes i also take a piece of patterned paper that i want to copy the image of and place it on top of my card stock then trace the pattern pretty hard with a stylus. then take the pp off and there should be an indentation in your card stock that you can the trace over with a pen so it shows up. Or just leave it as is for a subtle impression!

Random thoughts and blatherings

First off i want to say that I'm very proud to be an American! Im proud to live in a country where i have the right to vote for anyone i want no matter their gender race or religion. I think that this election was very significant, and although the person i wanted to win(Hillary Clinton and not ashamed to say it) didn't win i still commend our country for exercising our constitutional rights as citizens and voting. The voter turn out was completely amazing, I hope this continues in every election. Im very proud to have grown up in a politically charged household, where knowing whats going on in the world will defiantly make or break a "discussion" Im proud that my grandparents instilled in me a sense of American pride, and let me know at an early age that being educated in your views(whether they agreed with them or not) was of the utmost importance! My grandparents rock :) the picture is from last week when my Grandma and Grandpa where here, My little sister Cheyenne is in the front. She just turned 19 on monday!

Ok on to other news, i still love my job, with its long hours and crazy mayhem. I have been thinking alot lately about my life and the direction it has been in and the direction it seems to be moving in now. Today i was reading a few peoples blogs and they were talking alot about introspection.....I have chosen some crazy paths in my life, none that i regret but some that i could have thought through a little more. The old saying that when one door closes another one opens has always really applied to my life. Take for instance my current job. Hubs and i have a "discussion" and my not having found a job comes up. the next day my friend calls and offers me this job. Crazy huh? then this job turns into a ton of responsibility and lots of tasks and organization, which i dont tend to like.....But im totally thriving, i really think that this is what my mind needed.......A challenge.......something to work out and work through! I feel like i can think more clearly now than i have been able too in a long time. Ideas are running through my head faster then i can write them down. I love it! I feel at peace, maybe this isnt my end career goal, but i do think its a new platform to jump off of. Make sense? I think this job also renewed some of my confidence in myself. My boss goes on and on about how much im doing and how thankful she is. I guess i really did need that. Everyone does at some point i guess.

Any way that's how im feeling this afternoon how bout you? BTW i haven't scrapbooked, but im really gonna try tonight while i do laundry.....i really hate laundry :(

I have missed u guys!!!

Sorry its been so long, this is beyond a full time job......Im worn out, and havent scrapped since i started working :( Hopefully someday soon life will balance out and scrapping will come back to the fore front!!! I did make some pages a few weeks ago that i have yet to share so i thought i would share one today and upload some more tomorrow. Let me go ahead and apologize for the picture quality. i took it at night with the flash on which always turns out like crap. I will try and rephotograph it tomorrow with the rest of the stuff! I used ki memories pink dot die cut paper i got on super sale here, Yellow dot paper from martha stewart( i really like it but its so flimsy), American crafts thickers and paper, Maya Road Journaling sheer, and a string of beads and some brads from Micheals. This lo is super bright irl. News from the home front.......not one bit of remodeling has happened since i started my job :( I really wish we were moving farther along, but all in due time right! I hope all is well with you guys.
Tip of the day: WORK LESS AND SCRAP MORE!!!!!!!!!!!

Whirlwind month I swear :)

I honestly dont think i have ever been this busy in my life. I have been going nonstop since last month. heres a quick rundown with bullets cus i like them!!!!

• Packed my whole house( half of the boxes were from my studio)
• Decided if i didnt have a garage sale all of our stuff wasnt going to fit in the house that is twice the size of our apartment????
• Moved
• Bought a dog----Genius idea when your in the middle of moving----unpack one thing take the dog out unpack two things clean up pee unpack one thing make the dog stop chewing purse.....get the idea? oh geez it was exciting. Hes doing super good though and is well on his way to potty training bliss!!!!
• Unpacked---omg i swear i never want to move again
• Met TIm Holtz :) I slept 2 hours that night but i made it and he was super sweet! He is the Don of Distressing i swear its amazing!!!
• Cleaned frantically like a mad woman before my grandparents came up
  
• My grandparents blew in for the night on their way up north
• Finally got around to unpacking my studio----WOW i have way way way too much stuff.....thank God for garage sales!!!
  
• Got a job---My friend is opening a second boutique store here and asked if i wanted to help out 25 hrs per week
• Then she deceided i should work 40----hmmm thats full time and im a part time work full time scrap kinda gal, but i agreed
• Went and looked at said store, told her some ideas i had
• Same day got offered a manager position, so now im going to run said store
• Hmmmm manager and running a store definatly not a part time gig ;)
• Went to the State fair and ate some yummy yummys! (dont mind my bushy eyebrows and atrociously undyed hair i told you i have been super busy remember?)
• Started setting up the store so we could open next week
• Get a call this morning saying maybe we should open wed---um ya thats in 2 days and the slat wall isnt up yet buddy
• Realized that my Friend who is opening the store is a total Gemini with ADD like me!
• I really like bullets-----Can you tell??
• So ya im super excited about this new venture in my life! Im in charge and she doesnt care how i do things as long as the store does well!!
• Oh ya and shes gonna let me advertise my custom scrapbook business in the store!!!!
• Im totally happy and still love bullets

Ok enough of that! I just tried to take some photos of some layouts i made last night but they dont look very good so ill try again tomorrow....anyone have some good photography tips on shooting at home at night? I have a cannon rebel xti.....i really think it should photograph my los better at night....Im just sayin' for the price it should walk over and take them its self lol. Have a wonderful day...... night......whatever Bloggin buddies!
Tip of the day: I have been using found items to stamp, mask, and stencil with alot lately. Some of my favs are: a film canister to stamp circles with acrylic paint(i know no one uses film anymore but i promise if you look in your junk drawer hard enough you will find some!), You can also used cans cookie cutters pizza cutters or credit cards(the ones they wont stop sending you in the mail that say your nane here) for this just dip said object in paint or just dab some on it with your finger......Masking with Sequin waste(ill post a lo with that tomorrow with a pic of what sequin waste is for those who dont know or cant google lol)...... Stamping dots with the ends of my paintbrushes( learned this one from my grandma when i was little and i still use it all the time)..... Using vintage buttons as stamps( the flowery looking ones or just ones with a raised design)......Using chip board negatives as masks( when i buy a package of chipboard shapes i punch them out and put them in a jar then i keep whats left and use a sponge to fill in the shape with ink!) Ok thats all i can think of at 1 am hope that inspires you to find different things to aid in your scrapbooking adventure!!!

Introducing Ghengis Stanley

Heres my new baby boy!!!! He is the most precious baby ever ever :) He has been good with the potty training, and last night he was fetching! Hes the smartest dog ever.......Im thinking tonight im gonna move my furniture into my studio......Maybe ill make something????

Great food and maybe a dog?

The quote above is from Donna Downey......Today has been pretty laid back. I put up some halloween decorations today!! I should be done soon and ill take some pictures. I totally lost my black bird and im super upset??? I hope it got stuck in a diff box or something! My mantle scape is lost without it. We were at target today getting some stuff for dinner(and a super awesome bedding set for our guest bedroom!) and i saw this super cute black flower arrangement for halloween. It was kinda pricey so i took a picture of it. I told jeff i could totally make it way cheaper. Just now when i was unpacking halloween stuff the black roses were right there on top lol. I guess i can definatly make it now!!! I also found a couple of other projects i didnt finish last year ;) I can add them to the list along with the banner i have yet to make. I swear as soon as my studio is dry ill be in there creating.......Its driving me nuts!

Hubs made Carne Asada on the grill tonight. No idea what that is in english but i think its skirt steak marinated with fajita sauce and grilled whole? I dont know i wasnt paying much attention. The piece of meat looks huge in the picture, but i didnt even eat half so dont freak out lol. If you guys have any healthy low fat reciepes to share feel free! I love to cook, and with the new grill Jeff and i have been cooking together every night!! We usally eat out every night ;( I like it much better this way! I made low fat spanish rice and Black beans for our sides. The spanish rice recipe was so quick and easy i thought i would share with you guys!!!

Low fat spanish rice

Yield

3 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Mexican seasonings no salt added
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 (5.5-ounce) can tomato juice( I used 2 cans v8 spicy and it turned out well one can wasnt enough!)
  

Preparation

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add rice, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

188 (3% from fat)

Fat:

0.6g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g)

Protein:

4.9g

Carbohydrate:

41.7g

Fiber:

2.2g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

2.8mg

Sodium:

705mg (you can cut this way down if you use no salt added tomatoes and seasoning)

Calcium:

70mg

This is my version of one i found on Cooking light!

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.......Im off to go look at boxer puppies!!!!

This is my life today

So my life consists of mess,boxes, and a mess of boxes. First pic is dining room, thats my wedding dress in the bottom corner lol.
This is my kitchen, believe it or not i have cooked around this mess all week :) The kitchen stuff is unpacked......I think? might be some more stray boxes in these Im lost under mounds and mounds of stuff ;( I have to finish unpacking tonight or i might die.

Sad as it may sound about half of the boxes are for my studio, which isnt totally painted yet. I have so much to do, hopefully tomorrows pictures will include a kitchen void of boxes..........pray for me guys im goin in!!!!!

My life lately :)

I thought i would share some pics of what we have been doing! We got almost all the way moved yesterday....The house is a wreck.....moving isnt cool at all thank god we bought this house so maybe we will stay for a while. My studio is still in boxes so i prob wont be making any thing for a while :( Soon very soon my house will be in order then we'll be back to the regularly scheduled program!!!!

Jeffs new grill :)

Last night we used the grill for the first time! Yummy steaks and shrimp. BTW hes drinking root beer lol










Me painting our 3rd bedroom a yummy yellow!!!!













Last night i got Cooking Light to read while jeff was busy grillin!!!


















Yummy shrimp served elegantly on the bottom of a paint bucket ;)

RAK Winner

Random. org picked
MomInTraining3 said...Thanks for offering a RAK. Did you make your header?September 25, 2008 8:29 PM
send me your address via email and ill get it in the mail for you!!!! I didnt really get to craft much last night. I worked on some atc swaps.One for the napoleon Dynamite Swap i signed up for on sis. I cant upload pics cus i just realized i forgot my camera at the new house lol. I also worked on some new swaps i signed up for on Swap-Bot. I really like the site, it seems like they really try to weed out the flakers!!! I have had some awesome partners and some really really bad ones so i hope this site yeilds better results! With out my camera i guess i wont be able to post till sunday or monday.....Till then happy crafting!!!!!

Rak time

Hey guys just a quick post! I have been painting like a mad woman!!! Were almost done thank God :) I have an orange and blue boy themed kit up for grabs if any one wants it!!! Nothing big just a goodie to brighten your day. Leave a comment and ill email the winner tonight for their address so i can mail it tomorrow. Im off to scrap some stuff, maybe ill even get to post something else tonight! Have a great day.

Ok so five months later i finally finished

I started this album in April, and for some reason( prob cus it was just for me) I never got around to finishing it! I have decided that i want to finish all of the projects that i have half done, before we pack up and move to our new house!!! this is a very ambitious goal lol ;)
So pretty much all of the paper is from Basic Grey Obscure line. I love this line so much, but im happy that i used up every last bit of it!!!! I wanted to make a mini using the theme always..... as the theme. Page one is random bits about me at the time. Page 2 is Always look at things from different angles. My niece who was four at the time took this pic of me! Page 3 is Always make pretty things! page 4 is always joke around. page 5 is always laugh out loud. page 6 is always remember how important family is. page 6 is always follow your heart and page 8 is always remember to dip your toes in the ocean!!! Hope you guys enjoy! im off to scrap some more, and maybe do some laundry ;(

Happy times happy times

I used to hate red, but for some reason lately im totally drawn to it!!!! This is a pic i took while i was driving to see my grandparents! Ahh the open road :) pretty simple lo. i have seen quite a few people use one sticker for each word, so i cant really credit anyone for it. It was some one somewhere lol. Oh ya I saw a link on Donna's blog about actions that you could use in pse 6. OMG i bought 2 and i think i might be in love!!!! The links are at the bottom of the post. Here is where i bought mine. Ill post some before and after pics as soon as i figure out exactly how to use them!!!! I got the mac version, and in the read me file it explained exactly how to install them. check them out!!
Side note.......last night i watched fringe(oh the wonders of tivo how did i survive with out it!). holy crap its the best show ever!!! If you havent see it you can watch the full episodes here! Its kinda sci fi(more like sci minus the fiction!) sort of like X Files kinda only better in my opinion! If you like lost, one of the creators or writers or something is working on this too! Plus Joshua jackson is in it which is by no means a negitive lol!

Home Sweet Home Wall Hanging

I started this project a few weeks ago, and got side tracked as always ;) I worked on it for a few hours and i super love it. Most of the stuff I used came from the past two Scarlet Lime Kits. It started as a die cut piece of chipboard that was discarded at some point. The letters are corrugated cardboard, i got them from Joanns and painted them red. This is going to the new house sunday!!! our first new house decoration!!! I made a lo last night too. Ill post it tomorrow. Off to clean my house :(

My new biggest love!!! Plus olw challange :)

Ok the colors are true on the card, for some reason the lo just isnt cooroperating with me lol. The colors look bland :( These are the first two thing i made with the moda bella line from american crafts. I love love love this line!!!! The lo is for OLW, the prompt is LOVE this month. I love my grandparents more then anything so i thought i would scrap some pics of my recent trip to their house :) the card is a 6/12 piece of bazzil scallop paper! Im very excited they came out with this size cus i have been wanting to do some 6 X 12 pages.

The enabling continues!!!

6. Tim Holtz Christmas stamps: Tim is one of my fav designers in this industry! I may not always do a distressed look, but when i do its his products i turn too time and time again. Im gonna make my Christmas cards with these this year i think? Depends on how cool that basic grey Christmas paper is!!!!!
7. NEW Stickles: I'm so excited I could just pee!!! They are a combo of my fav ink colors(distressables by tim holtz) and stickles!!!! . I found both of these and the Tim Holtz stamps on this website! Tim is also coming out with masks!!! Check them out too :) 8. ModaBella: I am totally in love with this line. American crafts can be hit or miss sometimes.......but ModaBella rocks big time. These colors are so bright and vibrant, I cant wait to scrap these!!!!
9. Eclectic Mini album by Basic Grey: Not out yet but i think im gonna have to have this one!!! I really like that every page is different :)*******10****** Spell bound by Making memories. This is the Halloween collection im gonna use this year. i think its the only one that doesnt look cheesy and tacky :) Plus they came out with mini alphas to go with it!!!!!!
Hope you enjoyed the enabling!!!!
On a side note this week was super sad for me: Elsie Flannigan posted on her blog that she wont be designing for ki memories any more. The love Elsie lines of paper have been my super fav for a while now. im sad that she wont be creating the any more. I wish her well on her journey, where ever it takes her(hopefully she will create another line soon!!!)
Side note 2 i made it through the hurricane lol I drove home and didnt see any rain :)

Hey guys!!!

Im currently in south Texas visiting my grandparents!! they are so sweet and i love them more then anything.....They gave hubs and I a whole car load full of tools to help with our remodel!!!!!!! My grandpa was a Carpenter his whole life so he has all the good stuff(made when tools were solid and didn't break:) I plan on leaving tomorrow and hopefully ill be far enough to the west of hurricane Ike. Fingers crossed on that one!!!! I plan on stopping in Austin to visit archivers scrapbook store so i can get some Making memories Halloween stuff. Its pretty much the only one that i like when i looked up the new stuff online. Who knows i might like others when i actually see them up close!!!! I thought since i haven't scrapbooked in a while that i would enable you guys a little by showing some things that i am currently obsessed with!!! Ready.......Set.........Shop!!!!!
1. Teresa collins Halloween Spooktacular I love the whole line, but i super love these journal/mini book things. You can bind then with the bind it all to make a super cool mini book, or just add them to a page, i plan on using them on a Halloween banner that i have been dreaming up since i saw one on scarlet lime.

2. Scarlet Lime Kits: I have been subscribed to prob 10 kit clubs at various times throughout the years and eventually they all sucked. This on rocks in so many ways, You get a ton of stuff for your money($40) lots of paper(always brand new) and lots and lots and lots of embellishments. Last month there was a package of the new thickers, there are always fabric swatches, different little tags or embellies from Etsy ladies, buttons ribbon......You name it its in there!!! If you scrapbook out of the box, or just like getting a huge box full of fun stuff sign up for one of their kits!!! Wow that sounded like an advertisement lol......... Its not its just what i like!!!!
3. Thickers.....My heart, and all my husbands money belong to you!!! Ok I pretty much use these on every layout, mini book, and card I every make. They add color and dimension like no other product i have ever tried. I have a great need to own every type in every color!!! My fav is sprinkles vinyl. I am a little upset cus they changed the way they make them and the new way isn't as cool looking.
4. College press Journaling cards: I super love journaling card, and these really caught my eye!!! PLUS they only cost $0.65!!!!!!! I found some here5. Basic Grey Wassail- this is a big maybe for me. I havent see any really good pictures online so far so i have to wait and see it up close. I havent seen a bunch of christmas paper i have liked. Last year i used Wintergreen from Stampin up! i liked it because it was non traditional christmas colors. Red and green are boring.

Hope you guys like my picks for yummy stuff to buy! I might post some more soon, i just figured 5 was plenty :) have a super super great day!!!!!!

I havent been slacking i swear!!!

We closed on the house last thurs!!! I am super super excited to start this next journey in our lives. Apparently buying was the easy part.....Decorating is my new nemesis and has been encompassing every moment(waking and sleeping) of my life. Wow who knew there was like 5 billion carpet choices. holy cow i told hubs i had no idea how we were ever gonna pick. We have made a tentative decision on that though. Then we move on to what the hell our decorating style is.......My life is lived in color......Duh i scrapbook lol. Today i wore a lime green tank with a yellow and white thing over the top. So i really like color. hubs on the other hand likes the more "normal" dare i say institutional colors like cream and taupe.....BORING. I think that we have pretty much agreed on a more normal scheme: Earthy colors with natural fibers and wood. I checked out some bamboo pieces for the walls. they are so amazing. i think were gonna put them around the fire place and in the kitchen. So i compromised big time on the colors but its cool....my studio will still be teal!!!! Happy happy time :) I prob wont be blogging all that much for the next month or so :( I will try and get on as much as i can....I just dont know how much time i will have for scrapping. Hope you like my inspirational pics....even if they dont make the cut for my home, the colors are scrappy goodness :)

Holy freaking crap I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!

So Jeff and I bought a house today!!! Its so awesome....i never thought i would have a house by 25 but my wonderful hard working husband made it happen!!! The house is great, gotta change some stuff of course but the main thing is it belongs to us!!! This is the best feeling of my whole life!!!! Ok on to the scrapbooking lol
I started with a white piece of paper.......painted it with black and white. Letters are heidi swapp black accent is from prima. I like the Gothic kinda feel of the whole thing!!! Its a lot darker then what i usually do..... Ok off to scrap the pic of my new house!!!!!!!!

OLW and scrapjacked I have faith.....

WOW 2 posts in one day :) I couldn't help myself i super liked the way this one turned out!!! I started with the challenge from Scrapjacked. this time they picked bettiescrapbook. I love her style!!! I really liked that her lo had a monochromatic feel with a pop of color. I use a vintage book pages, and a vintage pattern. the tan circle thing at the bottom is the back of a prima deal that i had laying on my desk it was the right color so it made the cut lol!!!! I also combined the OLW challenge that is faith this time. hope you enjoy!!! My nephew is leaving today.......a little sad about it and a little happy to finally have my house to myself again :) im off to clean my studio from last nights adventures so i can mess it up again!!!!

My Dream House

This Lo was for the shopping challenge on SIS. I picked Pink paint, fabric, and the word "funky". I talked to Lucy on sis the other night, and she was telling me to take my time and layer with the watercolors. So, i figured i would give patients a try lol. I made the background with layers of green and blue. I dripped pink and blue on top of that. Patterned paper is by Daisy D, I washed it with Gesso. I love this paper the most!!!! I made the grass by cutting a piece of green basic grey. I thought it lacked depth so i washed it with Gesso, and 2 colors of green on top of that. The letters are old creative imaginations, i put gesso on them too to mute the colors. I sewed on this lo too!!! I really like the sewing.....I knew i would i just needed to conqure my sewing machine fears :) In the end i super love the way it turned out......I have been cranking out stuff this week....I hope i can keep up this creative momentum!