Notice the details on this months blog hop...

if you found your way here by Sylvia's blog then you are on the right track. If you just stopped by don't worry you can just jump right in. Once you are done looking at my projects you can move on to Deb's blog.

This months stamp set is perfect for all those little extra's that you might want to add to a scrapbook page, a card, or anything else you can imagine! This set has 41 perfect little parts for you to mix and match and use to your hearts content.

I have three projects for you today but I thought I would start you out today with a fun little card called an easle card. I did one a while back for fall but now that we ar moving closer to Christmas I thought I would share what every Christmas season needs...

Snow! I know I am crazy but I love snow as it is so pretty and it sparkles like diamonds. I used some of my favorites on thTis card: Jingle Level 2 paper pack, Flurry Elements, Notice the Details, Little bitty brads, Pearl Paint, Prisma Glitter.

Here is another view of the card when it is open. As well as a close up of all the words inside the card.

Since I made you suffer through the cold cold snow I will move you into the summer time where you can watch a little softball. My daughter has played for years and years but for three of those years she actually played club ball, which is travel softball. This basically means that we eat, drink, and sleep softball. It is round the clock and we are always on the go.  She loved it, I loved it, she doesnt' do it anymore and it makes me a little sad even though I enjoy the lighter schedule. For this page I actually made a whole calender page out of the little weekly calender. I just cut them and lined them up super cute.

 and the other page

The last thing that I have for you is a gift idea. These are journal jars and I did one for my daughter a few years ago and she loved it! She still has it as a matter of fact.

Well I hope you have enjoyed your time at my playhouse. I hope you enjoy the rest of your hopping. Now hop on over to Deb's blog.

Lets talk about snow...

Men! Haha...You thought I wanted to talk about snow for a whole post huh...where you worried? Some people really hate snow and some love it. I would be the latter and here is why, if I have to be cold I want something pretty to look at. I know simple reason. It is also so pretty to look at for the first month or so...come the end of January and I am over snow.

Anyway I made up some snowman soup a.k.a. hot chocolate, that I saw last year over at Nicole Heady's blog last year as I thought they would make fun little gifts for teachers, co-workers, secret sisters, ect..

They came together so fast! I used Aspen Level 2 papers and Snow Flurries.  I found the tins at Papertrey Ink I also got the cute little topper and poem from her blog, she again has the cutest ideas over there. This whole project came together so super fast...well I also had some help from my good friend Patti.

I think most everything is better with a little bling so I added a litttle bit of shinny gooness to the lid. I also think these would look adorable with some prisma glitter or stickles along the sides.

I want to hear from you

You know how there are one billion fabulous blogs out there? Everyone loves comments but sometimes you find that you just don't have a moment to show a little love. Well now you can tell me what you think with my new reaction buttons! How cool ar those??? Click at your leasure.

I hope you all had a wonderful day today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Traditions:

One of the cool things about being an adult is making your own traditions. I have found that some of my traditions came straight from my parents and others I have made with my family. The holidays make me get all sappy and sentamental each and every time. One tradition that we have is to put up the tree on Black Friday. I have done the shopping thing but I actually would rather stay home put up the tree and have some hot tea and put on some Christmas tunes. This year I think we will light the fire too. It is so fun going through the ornaments with the girls and giggling about the ones they have made over the years. Some are pretty beaten up but most of them are still just as nice as they were the day they came home with them so proud of what they accomplished.

As the years have went by the ornaments have become fewer as the participation in tree decorating has also went from two down to one. Savannah still loves to decorate the tree and I am so glad. It actually makes me sad that Danielle no longer wants to help but the sandness is not as bad as the attidute that I am met with if I force the issue. Pick your battles right?

This page came together so fast. I discovered a while back that the titles of the pages are labled on the back of the level one kits. What I normally do is to turn to that layout in the book that it is in, in this case Reflections, and I look at what else has been done in that chapter in regards to photo and papers.

Here is another view I just love the play on patterns here.

As well as a close up of the date. I just cut a Z to make a 7 and used a letter O for the zero

Note to self: take some photo's of the ornaments this year.

Lovely fall cards to make you twitterpatted

I am so Twitterpatted!

Twitterpatted : adj confused by affection or infatuation.

Friend Owl. Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You're walking along, minding your own business. You're looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head! - Bambi 1942

If you have not guessed I am so in love with this paper and this stamp set...oh my love it! For this card I gathered up a little mojo from back in the day. I used the rock and roll technique to get this beatiful change in color on the leaf and acorn. After that I used some stickles to make the swirls sparkle...cause every girl needs a little sparkle.

You could not tel from up above but this is one of those fabulous easle cards that everyone has been doing. Basically you fold the top of the card in half and then mount another peice of cardstock the same color on top and but a button or some brads down for it to sit upon. You can see how it sits here.

and the inside

Now the next card I did when I first got the stamps and paper it was super fast and easy and really fun.

I always need a quick thank you card and anytime there are stripes I seem to fall in love...

You've come a long way baby...

Here is a page from way back in the day.

Now this is not my first page I have misplaced that somewhere among the masses. I used to be addicted to stickers if you can't tell. The funny thing is I never even liked those streamers and confetti ones but I had so many and at the time I really felt like they were helping this page pop. LOL  Notice the brilliance in the title! I had run out of "N's" so I cut them out of the letter sheet.                         

How funny is that? Now when I want to use "stickers" on a page I do something more like this...

 These stickers are all layered and full of colors. The most halarious part here...that I never even noticed until I started typing this post...I subbed out a letter! Ha, the letter "v" is actually a y I think with the tail cut off.

Now this page had no rhyme or reason and man I cut out anything that would tell you a little more about the where abouts. By the way we are still at the fun fair here in case you were not sure. LOL

Personally I like the grass under my older daughters feet. Or the stickers coming out the letters. That was probably a signature move for me. How I loved to do that.

This next page surely was a sketch...

Ok but serioulsy could those girls have been any cuter? That was mothers day, we took the day and went tromping through the forrest and I took so many cute pictures. Oh man they were so cute when they were small...

Though here is a proof that you can be cute when you are old too

there is my gram she is 90 this year and still looks that fabulous if not better. When she was born women didn't even have the right to vote! Just as women have come a long way sketches have come a long way...though I cannot remember where this sketch came from.

So just remember this week You've come a long way baby! Post a link to one of your oldest page if you dare :)

Fun in th sun...

My Savannah has to be my most adventurous child and so creative too. One time she went fishing off of a the front porch with a stick and a throw rug. When I was little I used to get pretty creative with Barbies but she comes up with some doozies!  Since it we are having a bit of a warm spell in my neck of the woods I thought I would present to you ... ba ba ba bam ... the Hillbilly Pool! Since we didn't have one she made up her own...with yep as you can see garbage cans! I looked out back to check on them and was horrified at first and then I laughed and then I ran for the camera, if this isn't a kodak moment I don't know what is. Bonus: They might be good blackmail pictures for her future boyfriend.

Isn't this paper so cute. It is again from PersonalScrapper it is a Kit from July 09 and I was so happy to use up the kit the same month I got it. It only had a little bit of that fun paper with sunshine and fourishes but and so I just used a white gel pen and doodled all over the page. I am not so sure doodling is still the in thing to do but I love how it turned out on this page.

Oh and for all of you that are wondering...the garbage cans were clean ones!

Do you ever just find yourself head over heals in love?

With scrapbooking stuff? What did you think I was going to say? Haha...Anyway I am head over heels in love with the Jingle kits as well as the coordinating Christmas stamps!  I have not bought Christmas stamps in so long and then this year I found that I needed several.

Ms. Holiday Cheer, Holliday Trinkets, Snow Flurries...I just cannot get enough. Add those twinkling brads and the demensionals and the ribbon...oh my goodness!!!

So I have not just been loving the stamps and the papers I have been using it too!

I have a Christmas card class that is running on Saturday, November 14 and December 4 we are making 4 each of 5 designs I am giving you a little sneeay peeky of 3 of them.

Here is Ms. Holiday Cheer going out on the town shopping for gifts. Isn't she so stinking cute? I focused on paper piecing here something I never do. You could also color her in with markers. 

Next I will show you a chilly little card using Snow Flurries. Now I secretly, ok it is no secret, I love the snow. If it has to be cold I also want it to be pretty. I mean seriously why should I just be freezing if I don't have diamonds dancing in the snow? On a side note Juniper was not my favorite color until I saw it in this paper pack. Can I just tell you how much I love it! I don't know how I lived without it before. It is so versatile too.

In this card I took the Top Notch die...how cute is that? Anyway I just stamped a few flurries here and a few flurries there added a little bling and bam super cute card in a monochromatic theme that will take your breath away just like a crisp cold morning.

It is so fun to share some cards with you as I feel that I have not done so in a long time. Another card that I want to show you is using Holiday Trinkets. I focused on the tree's for this card, we also get to use the ornaments later one. I love this card is just pure colorful fun! It mixes and matches patterns and it is so bright and colorful.

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek. Please let me know if you would like to join us in class. I still have a few more seats open or as always you can do the class by mail. It is just a little extra for shipping.

I know this is a crazy love but sometimes new papers and stamps just make me a little gaga. Maybe I need to get out more...maybe I am spending too much time with the kids...nahhh...

Have a great day I am off to create...

Just one year...or two...or three...or seven are you serious?

Sometimes life is so bittersweet...sometimes it comes right up and slaps you in the face! I was over at Two Peas looking for some cute CTMH ideas and I have not been there in forever. I saw some of my old projects and my old cards were so funny. My old scrapbook pages...also funny for the most part. More on that in a moment. After looking around for a while I ended up at this garden girls profile which made me go to her web site and see this really cool page in which she is talking about things she said she would do and then give us an update on if she did them or not.

Well wouldn't you know it but the on line class I am taking also referenced this page! You could have hit me with a big ole BRICK! Seriously? I had to pick up my mouth off the floor. It was one of those ahah moments like hello is someone trying to tell me something.

Here is why I was getting hit with the brick. I did this page way way way back in 2002 it was on September 11 and I was at Wrigley Field with my mom and my brother. This photo made me realize just how jumbo I had become. I knew I had to do something about it.

I made a plan I started a journal, I started a scrapbook all about me and my journey.

I wrote a wonderful poemish letter to myself about where I want to be in a year.

Then I took some horrible photo's of myself.

Honest photo's

Then I made yet another scrapbook page all about where I will be in a year.

This was 7 years ago. Guess what? I weigh 8 pounds more now than I did then!

What the heck! Seriously I ask myself what the heck is wrong with me. I had lost about 40 pounds but then I gained it back over the last few years while the hub has been working 3rd shift. Nothing to do at night but eat...a lot. I even called my old friends Ben and Jerry.

Here is the journaling/poem of sorts

Where will I be in a year?
That is all it wll take. A single year. Why didn't I do it before? A Year...

In one year I could be at my goal or really close to it, I could be healthier, thinner, prettier...a year. That is it.

What is my problem? do YOU remember what you ate yesterday? I don't unless I really really think about it. So tell me were the chips and dip worth it? Would a salad have worked just as well? What about last week? So the chips and dip were yummy and can remember why you wanted them but I certainly don't remember what I ate a week ago...a month ago...a year ago.

What were you doing a year ago? I was wishing for the umpteeth thousanth time that I was thin...a year. That isn't a lot of time.

A YEAR I tell ya!

Ok...so what brought on this insight? I was looking at pictures of me and all my friends (yes you) and wow...I was really thin...as few times I had to remember to close my mouth...I had forgotten I had ever looked like that.

So the time is now...a year...that is it...a year...

Car to join me?

Where will you be in a year?

So wow that was seven years ago. The funny thing is I am not even a real fan of chips and dip. LOL Anyway seriously. I need to follow through on some things. I have accomplished quite a few things on my must do in my life list

1. Have another baby
2. Get married
3.  Buy a home
4. Lose weight - ugh this is always the one!
5. Travel to Venice

I think it is time to get serious...and give myself that year!

It's coming...will you be ready?

It only happens a few times a year:

Well it is official, yesterday just wore me out! It wore me down so much I was in bed by 10pm, which is unheard of for me. It isn't as if I didn't know if was comming. I got a notice a few weeks ago and I very dutiful made my appointments...1...2...3...4...5. Yep five of them and then I began the worry and the anxiety. 15 minutes each, what why so long that seems like forever.

I knew it was comming but even still I tried to push it to the back of my mind. Everytime it would come up I would just change the subject in my mind and move on. Time is not always kind though and both the good things as well as the bad come upon us oh so quickly. Then suddenly it was here;

Tick...tock...tick...tock...

yesterday was just another ordinary day and in the morning I had forgotten what day it was and then suddenly I realized! D'oh...now the feeling of dread is back and in full swing. A nice birthday treat at work yesterday make things all better for a short time. Home made big ole chocolate fudge brownies...yum.

Oh ok back to the task at hand. I finished up work at my desk thinking this day went entirely to fast. I went home and made dinner for the family then I grabbed my keys and said my good-byes. Dread filling me up every mile that I get closer and closer to the big brick building. Dread as I enter though the big doors and walk down the familiar halls that I once walked day in and day out for four years. Step by anxious step. What will be said, what will I say back...the silence in the halls...looking at old photographs that still line the walls.

Then I am there and it starts:

Me: Hi, I am Savannah's mom.

Her: Oh so nice to meet you.

Me: You too.

Her: Savannah is such a nice girl. Such a pleasure to have in class. She participates and seems very smart. We are reading "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Me: Yes she has been reading

Her: She woudl be doing better in class if she turned in her homework. She is missing quite a few assignments. If she would turn in her homework her test scores would be better...
Me: Yes I saw that, I will make sure she is getting that done.

So the story continues and the same thing in each class. Ahh...big sigh of releif. It wasnt' so bad not like that one time way back when. I leave to go back home happy that all of her teachers can see what I see in her...lots of potential.

As I walk in the door I hear giggling from my two youngest girls.

Her: How did it go?

Me: Good, good, your teachers are all very nice. We need to work on that homework. It really must be turned in every day. Other than that the conferences went well.

Her: Ok...smiling as if she didn't know she wans't turning it in and then more questions.

Me: Telling her of all the details...with love in my heart and a smile on my lips.

Feeling good that it is all over...until next time.

Pulling a Letterman

I love to make lists even thought I don't always end up using them. I want to do a few list pages for my girls and maybe one about books and movies. Anyway I thought I would do up a little listy listy for all to see. I have been pondering this list for a while now...what kind of list did I want? Did I want to talk about my favorite books? Why I love being a consultant got CTMH? Where I want to go? Where I have been? My favorite _____.

I thought I would go with Why I love Scrapbooking! Now everyone will know why I cannot get enough.

Friends - this is a hobby that gets you instant friends! I cannot even begin to tell you how many ladies I have met that have turned into real lifelong friends because I scrapbook.

Paper - Oh man there is paper for everything. Pretty pretty patterns, pretty pretty colors, pretty pretty  paper! You think you have the perfect color but guess what...you don't! Gotta get more for sure...pretty pretty paper!

Tools - You need the tools to cut the paper or shape the paper. These tools are so awesome! If I were a man I would probably grunt like Tim Taylor when he walks into a sears store. My husband has music equipment in the man cave and tools in the garage and I have a cricut and a big shot and punches....ohh....

A little Bling - Bling - Can a girl ever have to many embelishments? Really? I mean ribbon and shinny stuff and brads oh my...

Memories - this is a huge reason why I scrapbook. I love to record the memories of my loved ones lives! Oh those kids grow up so fast. The books also help when those said kids turn into teenagers! Then you ahve to look at them to remember how cute they once were and know that theyw ill turn back into cute beings on a day, a wee, an hour...you just never know what your going to get from one day to the next when you live with teens.

Some ME time! - Going of of what I was saying up above...I really love my family but sometimes I just want to admire them and not really talk to them. Haha!!

History - I dabble here and there in geneology and wow would I be so thrilled to run across a scrapbook of yesteryear. It is fun to record stories or moments knowing that my grandchild or great grandchild will stumble across the books one day and discover a little bit more about us.

FUN - This hobby is pure fun! Lots of laughing, giggles and snorts goes on at crops.

Creativity! - When I was little I saw these beautiful drawings my mom did and I always used to ask her why she never did drawings any more and she just kind of said she stopped after she had kids cause she got busy and I was horrified! I would tell her she should continue and how could it be when you love to draw how do you just stop. Can you tell I am a drawer too...well used to be! The same thing happened to me. It isn't as easy to find the time or the subject or the idea when you are chasing girls around or taking them here and there and everywhere. Scrapbooking takes care of my creative need!

Cards! - Oohhhh...just like one thing leads to another scrapbooking leads to cardmaking and that is fun stuff! Instant gradification I tell you. Instant! Sometimes a page can take what seems like forever but a card well you can belt that baby out in minutes!

It's not always black and white

So I have been going through some old photos when I cam across this one. Oh that shirt...it was my favorite I just loved it so much and felt so good when I wore it. Would you just laugh so hard if I told you that it had matching pants? Well it did!!! I wore them all the time too until one fateful day I tore them on a gangly teen boys rusty old car. We were at the park and he pulled up super super close and I was walking between the cars and a peice of rust just reached right out and tore my pants. You guessed it I stilll wore them for a while until that hole kept getting bigger and bigger.

Anyway...we are not here to talk about the pants or that adorable shirt .

Back to the page at hand.and the photo from the mid 80's. I ran across it and I wished there were more but alas there was not more so I just scrapbooked this one page becasue well even though this is just one little ole photo it tells a story. A story of a time a long ago, yet it seems like just yesterday.

I am trying to study in this photo but I seem very very distraced. I am defiinatly more interested in that diet coke that in the books. I had actually forgotten that I used to drink diet coke way back then. Now I only drink diet pepsi. There is not a whole lot of journaling right here and I sort of took over this hole section and made a giant title. I broke it up with several flower rub ons. I love the way it turned out as it looks like doodles on the cover of my notebook. I also added some bling to each one of the flower centers.

Since the photo was so small 3 1/2 x 5 I needed something to make it pop! I decided to use the Top Notch die to cut out my picture. I mounted it on white and sponged the edges wiht blacm. I added a strip of ribbon to the bottom of the white block and tucked in some hidden journaing. That is for the real story and maybe one day I will tell you more about this day but for now you will just get the simplfied version.

You can also see the journaling box. It tells a ltitle story about doing homewor and how hard it to catch up/ This paper as well as the ribbon  are from the May 2008 personal scapper kit.