Saturday, August 30, 2008

It's that time again....


It's been a few weeks since I updated my blog. It's now Labor Day weekend....where has the summer gone? It just doesn't seem possible. We are starting to get Christmas stuff in at work already....the holidays will be here way before I am ready for them I am sure.
Jason has started back to school (Independent Study) I am so hoping he will step up and do well...I know he hates it when I nag but I so want him to succeed. I got this great picture of him on the first day of school, last Thursday....it's already scrapped...how's that for quick.

We received a memory card with some photos from Jeremy so I have been working on scrapping a few of those as well. There is one really amazing photo of him that I am anxious to scrap but have been having trouble getting it just the way I want it...I seem to be doing that alot lately, especially with photos of Jeremy......not to sure why. I guess I love the photo so much that I really want the layout to be just as amazing as the photo. Hopefully I will have some time in the next couple of days to finish it.
Jeremy received his first transfer in the mission field. He was in Pocatello for about a month when transfers came through...he wasn't expecting to be transfered but he was...he is now in Idaho Falls and loving the work there. His companion is great and he is learning lots. Here's a layout I did of him with his companion in Pocatello.



Jason's Birthday is Monday....he will be 16! Talk about where has the time gone....wasn't he just a little boy not too long ago? So the holiday will be spent celebrating Jason's birthday with a bunch of kids hanging out. playing video games...it out to be a fun day.

Riley, our new little dog is now 4 months old and continues to steal our hearts and crack us up all at the same time. I swear he is so smart he thinks he can talk....he knows what he wants and is pretty darn good at making sure we know what it is that he wants. Tonight he came into my studio and just was barking up a storm at me....like he was trying to tell me something so I got up and followed him and he took me into the kitchen to his food and water dish...they were both empty and he was hungry and thirsty. He did the same thing the other night came in and barked like crazy at me and when I followed him he stood in front of the front door....if he could have handed me the leash I am sure he would have...so off we went for a walk. He really is a fun addition to the family.




This post could not be complete without congratulating my buddies Michelle, Jeri, and Kim over at Scraplove for winning the "Summer of Scraplovin" contest! You guys did a great job! The challenges over there were very serious and I was so glad to be able to participate.

While I am "crowing" for my scrappy friends....I have to give a shout out to Kristin over at Scrapbookdeals4u for her winning layout for the week two challenge of "10 Weeks of Fun". She dis a great job on her layout and her journaling was perfect it totally made me feel like I was there on her vacation with her.
I have included some layouts in this post that are some of my fav's. I have been a busy girl this summer between DT responsibilities and a contest I was in I have a whole bunch of pages to put away! Why is that always my least favorite thing to do?

I love this one of Holly! She is Jeremy's girlfriend and I think she is just the best. (No Holly I am not trying to suck up...lol) He took this photo of her at the beach when she was visiting before he left on his mission. I know it's one of his favorites and it was just begging to be scrapped. The beautiful paper from the September kit from scrapbookdeals4u was perfect for it. I had a great time scrapping it.


This is one with some photos from Hawaii.....it's simple but I love the way it turned out.

Last but not least....even tho the picture isn't that great....I decided to post my cool new "do" Thanks so much Stephanie for making me feel so pretty!


Sunday, August 10, 2008

OMGosh!!!

As I was wandering the boards over at scraplove tonight I came across a thread that caught my eye...the Celebrity Judge had chosen her three top picks for the 4th week of the Summer of Scraplove contest that I am in. My first thought is well I probably wasn't chosen but lets go see who is...this is what came up on my screen.....

SOSL Week #4 Celeb Judge Christine Middlecamp's Picks!

Man, I just had such a hard time choosing..these are people's personal reflections, so it's difficult to choose one over the other. I decided to base my choices on creativity and story telling. As a scrapbooker, I routinely sit down and contemplate how I can tell a story using fun, innovative techniques. I don't expect to reinvent the wheel every time I create a new layout, but I always love to try something new and different from the usual. It's a risk, but there's great potential for learning and developing one's creativity. So, here's my choices:



1st: Kathy M. - God's Handiwork There's an innate quality to the story that immediately caught my attention. It speaks honestly about the beauty of the world and the place we call "home". I share a liking for sunsets also..thanks to my loving husband. The craftsmanship of the layout definitely demonstrates the use of inventive, fun techniques and supports the overall feel of the page. There's a lot of great collage elements being used and an assortment of materials. Beautiful!

It touched me so much that she chose my layout.....I had such a fun time creating it...it made me miss Jeremy less because I was scrapping a photo of something that he saw. It was a wonderful way to end my day.
If you scroll down a post or two you will see my creation.

You can read the rest of what Christine Middlecamp had to say here: http://www.scraplove.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38309

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Another Contest - at SD4U

Fun times ahead.....SD4U has another new contest starting on Monday Aug 11th. With our Summer Scrapfest contest over we decided to come up with a plan to keep you motivated and scrapping throughout the rest of the summer!

Each week, beginning August 11th, alternating members of the design team will be posting challenges along with chances to win some fabulous prizes! We’re calling it "10 Weeks of Fun", and it’s sure to be just that and a whole lot more! Make sure to stick around and join us, and you could be the lucky winner of the grand prize of a guest designer spot for November plus $50 worth of product from the SD4U store! Other prizes will be awarded, too, and your participation as message board members will be crucial in choosing the winners!The SD4U team is looking forward to all the fun, and we hope to have you join in!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Peaceful this week



Cliff and I are finding out a bit of what it will be like to be "empty nesters" this week. Jeremy of course is in Idaho on his mission but this week Jason went to Youth Conference in Salt Lake. So it's just Cliff, me and our new little doggy Riley. It's nice...but wierd all at the same time. I was looking to find a picture I could add to this post that somehow expressed "peace and quiet" and this is what I came up with....Jeremy took this amazing sunset photo in Idaho and I thought it was perfect.



While I am posting photos, here is a layout I did for the Summer of Scraplove Challenge over at Scraplove. It's been a real challenge for me...I love all things scrappy but I know where I am comfortable and I usually don't stray too far from my comfort zone....well every week now I have been stepping out of my comfort zone to meet these wonderful challenges. Last week I had to do a layout with mostly transparencies and a song title.....the song title part wasn't a problem...I use song titles all the time but a mostly transparent layout was WAY out of my comfort zone! Once I figured out what I was going to do it all came together and I was so glad I had stepped out to try something new. This weeks challenge was well even more of a challenge for me....after teaching scrapbook classes for several years I got really burned out on doing "projects" I would much rather do a layout than a mini book or some piece of altered art...well this week we had to do something that wasn't a scrapbook page, something to display in our homes....my first thought was "I don't THINK so! I'll just skip this week's challenge" After I decided this I went and took a nap and just as I am drifting off to sleep I remember that I have a 12x12 canvas that I could use...and oh I could use some of that older "collage" paper that I have from a few years ago....and I bet I can come up with some cool embellishments......VOILA! I got up from my nap and started to create.......I had everything laid out before the evening was over. Long story short......I guess I CAN step out of my comfort zone once and a while and when I do....look what I can come up with!