Perfect to me....

So my friends used to make fun of people who scrapbooked weird things. Turns out I am one of those people. Who knew? Secretly all along I probably knew.

I am always taking photos of food. I just can't help it. Sometimes it is because it is so pretty and different and sometimes it is so I can try to make it and other times it is so I can record it in my food journal. For years and years I have been driving past this tiny little place called Pete's Famous Hot Dogs it is in between a few near by towns out in the middle of no where. I would always say I am going to stop there...well I never did.  To make it even less likely that I would ever stop the girls have decided that they hate hot dogs. What? Who hates hot dogs when they are a kid??? Usually you have to be older and figure out what in the world is in them before you dislike them. 

Personally I still love them and so here it is a page about something weird because this food isn't fancy, pretty, different, or going in my food journal. I just wanted to record the experience and remember that I did indeed try those famous hot dogs.

So take a look at my page and then head over to Sketch-N-Scrap and join us for our mid-month sketch.

Supplies area all from the Sweetheart Paper Pack and coordinating products from Close to my Heart

Here is the sketch

Oh and by the way the hot dog was yummy and as a bonus I just discovered my little one LOVES hot-dogs so now I have a partner in crime.

I will announce the winner on my blog a little later on today.

My Heart is..Perfect right now

Welcome to the Sketch -N- Scrap Blog Hop!

We decided to try something new this month and our team is sharing artwork today featuring a bonus sketch! Also we have a special phrase for you to decipher along the way. Each of our blog hop ladies has a word(s) BOLDED for you to complete the phrase from the beginning to the end of the hop. Once you have completed the phrase, EMAIL it to sketchnscrap@gmail.com for another chance at the grand prize! If you have come here from Tamika's blog, then you are on the right path.

Our theme for our hop is Love Grows Where the Heart is...as I tried to decide what I wanted to scrapbook I came across these photos from my 40th birthday. I am not a big fan of them but at 40 if you don't learn to love yourself what will you have to offer others? There are a million things I thought I would have accomplished by 40 that I didn't. There are a million other things that I did accomplish. I think maybe part of the  reason I don't like these photos is because my whole WORLD had been crashing down around me leading up to my birthday and I was not really sure if I was prepared to take on my 40's or not. My 20s seemed a little tragic and my 30s were really a happy time and so since I had lots of final straws at 39 and had to decide where I wanted to take myself I decided that I could handle my 40's and I could handle them with grace, acceptance, and love...love of myself where I am right now. I have tons of changes I want to make in this decade. I need to pick up the pieces from a failed marriage. I need to start over financially. I need to lose the weight I have been saying I will lose for the past two decades. I want to send off my girls to each of their new life stages with the knowledge that they can do anything in the WORLD that their hearts desire. I want to enjoy those who love me. I want to make even more new friends and cherish my old friends.  I want to embrace who I have have become because of where I have been and enjoy each and every day! I want to remember that even though life is never perfect sometimes it can be perfect right now! At 40 I have learned to embrace who I am and you know what it is pretty liberating.  So no I don't think I am perfect .. but I am right now ~

Supplies: Pemperly kit and coordinating accessories from Close to my Heart

Here is the sketch if you would like to make your own page about how love grows where the heart is!

Now hop on over to Mandi's blog but before you do...leave me a little love and you will have a chance to win some eye candy! Yep...you have several chances to win...one chance here for leaving some love, a chance here and there on other Sketch-N-Scrap blogs...and one chance for figuring out the hidden phrase.

***eye candy surprise***

Leave me some love and I will pack a surprise goodie box for you full of fun things to make cards, scrapbook pages, or whatever paper craft you prefer. Winner will be drawn on February 15th so please comment by midnight on Valentines Day... February 14th.

You + Me = Friends

 So today we are having a great new sketch for you to try at Scrap-n-Sketch it is a multi photo and so versatile  I just fell in love with it right away.

These photos are some that I had laying around of me and my bestie we for some reason do not have very many photos of us even though we have been best friends for almost 30 years. I think we need to change that...though I am not sure if I can get her to agree. 

Here is a detail of the little journaling pocket and the owls from Whooo Loves You? 

Did you notice that sparkly paper? It is new in the Close to my Heart catalog...that is online starting today! I must get me some more of it. 

Here is the sketch. Please take the time to join us...and don't forget to stop by next week to see our special bonus sketch blog hop...you are going to LOVE it.

Name frame...twins

Ok so as you read a few weeks ago when you saw Jordan's name frame we had a little baby boom. All of these births were super exciting and joyful times. I was so happy for my cousins as they each welcomed new babies into their lives. I was doubly excited for the last announcment and she was having TWINS now we always joked about having twins in my family as my aunt who is a geneoligist told us how twins showed up here and there in the family but none of us ever had any...until now. A perfect set - one boy and one girl. They are just the sweetest little babies. When I got to hold both of them together it made me thankful that I only had one at a time.

I was really trying to think of what paper I could use for twins who share a room for my cousin who has always been a tom boy. Do I want them to match do I want them separate...I dicided to coordinate using a paper pack that is fun for kids and can be for a boy or a girl. Animal Cookies! Many years ago I entered the wrong code and ended up with a second set of this paper. I thought about getting rid of it but figured I would just keep it. Well I am SO glad I did cause it is just perfect for this project. See it isn't so bad to hoard your supplies for that some day...some day happened to me!

Here they are together

I wanted to make them coordinate but not be the same. I used a few different papers and My Stickease for each frame. First up the little boy frame.

 

Next up the little girls frame. I added a banner to this one. I just love to use banners. I hope this trend sticks around next year.

Here they are all finished together. She loved them. I loved them. I cannot wait to make more of them! Such a great fun gift that can be personalized. My daughter who is getting married later this year informed me that I will need to make her some when she decides to start having babies.

You can see the other name frames here Jordan, Eli, Maizie.

Name Frame: Eli

Time for another name from. Last week you saw Jordan and you can see my original one Maizie. This one is for my cousins little grandson Eli he had a short name so I had to get a little creative on how I wanted to do it.

 

Funny sidenote. As I was trying to decide how and what to do and what paper I wanted to use. I accidently sent the message to my cousin instead of my friend! Ack...I told her to disregard as that was for a suprise...lucky for me she still had no clue. Now I try and double check who I am sending stuff too.

 

This superhero paper was my favorite paper pack for a while just because it was so different. I don't even have boys but I knew I had to have it! I never did make a scrapbook page with it. I made several cards and a really cool wreath for the 4th of July. I was digging and digging and digging some more and found a sampler pack. I was so happy because I thought it would just be perfect for little Eli.

 

I made another Name Frame: Jordan

We had a slight baby boom in the family this year. I have a lot of cousins and three of them who happen to be sisters all had babies appear in their life over the past year or so. I decided to make some name frames for them. I will do three separate posts and will start out with the oldest and work my way through them.

I just adore these name frames and made one a while back for my daughter.

Jordan is the oldest of the babies I decided to go with a space theme for him. I had a super cute paper pack from way back when called Stardust. I also had the coordinating My Stickease and little embellishment that had a rubber feel to them. I also added some bling.

Everyone loves a good bonus

Over at Sketch-n-Scrap we have been adding to our team and making changes. One of the changes is we have added another scrap artist. Today you get to try out one of her sketches. I used some beautiful papers and stamps from the Felicity set from CTMH. Here is my take on it

These photos were sitting around they are from my little one doing a thanks giving story at school and making some cute props to go along with it. Come play along with our Bonus Sketch and visit everyone's blogs I am sure you will find tons and tons of inspiration!

Bonus Sketch by Brenshevia be sure to check out here blog.