I Scrap Memories

Visit my NEW BLOG!

2010-10-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

I have a new blog set up at http://iscrapmemories.wordpress.com/. All of my Blogger posts have been transferred over. I am still learning my way around wordpress but I am looking forward to the new adventure. Please tell me what you think!

MOVING SOON!

2010-10-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have had a good run with Blogger. Sadly they have made the decision to implement changes that have made Blogger a frustrating place. Pictures do not upload properly, sometimes they take hours to load, and last night after spending way too much time trying to upload pictures my entire post just disappeared. So beyond frustrating!!! I tried to contact Blogger only to discover they do not offer customer service. Ummmm really? So I would like to say the decision was a tough one but it really wasn't. Blogging is supposed to be FUN not so frustrating that I dread adding a new post! I have heard good things about Word Press and am in the process of setting up over there. I will let you know when I have officially moved over!

Key West Layouts

2010-10-19T20:03:00.001-05:00

I wanted all of our Key West pictures to fit in one album. My goal was to finish the album during my LMNOP scrapbook retreat. Alot of the pages had a ton of pics on them so I didn't embellish much. I was able to get it done most of Saturday by staying up past 1am and then I finished off the last 5 pages Sunday morning before heading home. This trip included New Orleans, Daytona Beach, Key West, Orlando, and a final stop in Mobile.

Yea....I know the O moved. LOL. I fixed it but didn't feel like rescanning.

This page is supposed to be way up top with the other dogs at the beach page. I swear this new blogger design is killin me. It is a PAIN to load pics and its not so easy to arrange them either. :-(

Card Swap

2010-10-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

In 8 days I am going on the LMNOP retreat! I am so super excited! I am participating in an "artists choice" card swap at the retreat with 8 other swappers. I chose a Christmas theme because once the temperatures drop Christmas is all I think about! Many thanks to my dear friend Leslie who helped me thru my creative block and suggested I add the pop up snowflakes to the card.

Vintage Card Class

2010-10-03T19:34:00.001-05:00

I took a vintage card class at Archivers with my friend Leslie. It was fun! She was a great classroom partner!
I learned a new technique so I am glad I took the class. I walked away with 4 cards and a tag.

This one was not my favorite. I altered it from the original design but I still don't really like it.

I altered this one slightly. I like it. We used petal soft on the trees. In my opinion its not much differant than flock and not something I would purchase....but the effect on this card is pretty.

This is a gift tag and I LOVE it!

This is my FAVORITE! I love vintage santas!

Grandparents Day

2010-09-10T19:59:00.000-05:00

Sunday is Grandparents Day!!! I found an adorable gift bag at Hobby Lobby and decided to make a matching card.

I was going to make this interesting spinner card that had 2 folds and when you opened it there was something in the middle that spun around.....well.....no matter what cardstock I used the card just felt too flimsy for me. So I turned an oooops card into a cute card by matting the "flimsy" card onto heavy cardstock. I embossed the card and cut the center out with my Sizzix Top Note. I cut the owl with my Cricut Destinations Cartridge.

Scrappy Saturday

2010-09-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

I spent the last 11 hours with friends having a great time and scrappin my heart out. I finished up the cards for the LMNOP card swap, finished up the puppy book with my Treasure Box puppy kit, and I did 2 layouts.

This cards only requirement was we had to use scraps to complete it. Man did I have a TON of those! I used my new embossing folder from Stampin Up with those beautiful roses on it and inked them to make them pop.

The next card I made was an interactive card. My friend Cat told me about a neat idea of using pennies for a spinner card. A quick google search on the computer gave me the directions and voila.....I LOVE this card.

The butterfly spins around in circles from left to right.

After I finished the cards I did a few projects that just needed finishing touches. The last hour or so I worked on these two layouts.

This one is a picture of my Grandma and my Great Aunt Sharon- my Grandma requested this one so I will get it framed and give it to her.

I already have this one in a small frame at the house so I am taking this one to work in a frame. The stamp (in case it's too small to read in the picture) says

Once in a Lifetime You Meet Someone that Changes Everything.

ATG- Love it or Hate it???

2010-08-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

I finally broke down and ordered an ATG for my craft projects.

The adhesive is SO much cheaper. I calculated I was spending about $100 on adhesive runners when I could get the same amount of ATG adhesive for about $20. Eeeek.

So I ordered a cute pink one from Custom Crops and it took Danny about 10 minutes to load it for me. LOL. I figure I must have him or another "wise loader" in my presence if I ever run out of adhesive....no way am I patient enough to try and figure that out!

So here is my issue- this gun is NOT for left handed people!!! I can NOT see where the adhesive strip is- and I swear this afternoon more adhesive went on my desk than on my projects! I am fairly versatile with my right hand but I think this gun requires too much coordination for me to be able to use it right handed. I could crank my neck around and possibly see where the adhesive strip is.....but what a pain (literally!)

Any other lefties out there with my problem? Not sure what to do besides maybe just practice with it. The cost savings are so great...I hate to give it up... but goo gone is kinda expensive and its looking like I need a whole jug of it for my desk so in the long run it might not be that much cheaper!

Cards

2010-08-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Today was the LMNOP monthly crop. I stayed the entire 13 hours!!!! It is sooooo time for me to go to bed but I wanted to post this before it slipped my mind. I had a great day of socializing and finished a small amount of scrapbooking. I had a goal to complete 4 sets of cards, an 8x8 album and 2 recipe boxes. Normally I am super speedy and that is not unrealistic.....today I finished 2 sets of cards and that is it. LOL! Oh well....it was a great day.

This card is for the theme Red, Black, and White. My Aunt Cheryl recently had to put her dog down so I wanted to make her a card and just decided to incorporate it into this theme.

The next card was based on a sketch and inspired by my Aunt Sharon. On my 21st birthday she made me this sun.

On the back there is a message that says May the Sun Always Shine on You. I always loved that she wrote that and since we lost her to cancer in May she has been on my mind alot and I have been missing her. So I used the sketch challenge to make a card with the same greeting on it.

Here is the sketch

and here is my card

So it took me 13 hours to get those two cards done....HA-HA. Not really. I did make 9 of each card but still....that wasn't much production for the day. I still have 2 sets of cards I need to finish for the swap before next month.

New Desk

2010-08-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Danny's Dad I now have a new desk! I removed one of the craft tables to add the desk. I love it because I can hide some of my goodies in the desk drawers! LOL. I still have one craft table against the other wall and of course my small desk against the wall you can't see in the picture that just holds my computer. I have a little more room now to use the creativity room as the occasional real estate office. :-)

A family layout

2010-08-08T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my Grandma, me, and my Aunt Sharon. I miss my Aunt Sharon so much. We lost her to cancer in May. She was such an amazing women and so talented with all of her arts and crafts. I always asked her to paint me roses- which she hated painted- but did such a great job at. When I saw this paper I knew it could be our little inside joke with all the roses on it. LOL.

Recipe Box

2010-08-08T19:42:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went to the MMM crop in The Woodlands. I made this Recipe box out of Close to My Heart paper and embellishments. The word RECIPES was cut with my kitchen cricut cartridge. Of course I added stickles to the words and a few of the cherries.

I plan on making several of these for Christmas gifts this year.

Now to just get the recipes put inside!

4 day retreat

2010-07-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

I am home from a relaxing 4 day retreat weekend. The retreat was fun. Low key, relaxing (I had several naps), and productive. I finished all of my August card swaps, 2 mini-albums, a gift for Grandma, and a few layouts.
For the LMNOP card swaps I participated in 3 categories. This card is for the Circle Element Swap. We had to incorporate a circle into our card. I figured the best way to do that was just to make the card a circle. I discovered I am not a very good circle cutter so these cards took awhile. Also- thanks to Nicole I discovered I could have been getting more circles out of each piece of paper....oh well. Live and Learn. LOL.

The next card is for the Paper Technique Swap. For this card I used embossing, sanding and tearing. LOVE coordinations paper and so glad I found it in my bag and had the idea to use it for these cards. The inside stamp says thru happy times and sad.

For the last card I made you were supposed to use this picture as inspiration.

I looked at this picture and thought what in the heck am I gonna do with this. WAY outside of my box. But this is what I came up with and while I would never have put this together on my own- I actually like how they turned out.

I have a 12 hour crop coming up on Saturday so I need to unpack and repack my bag for next weekend! We just got a new puppy today so there should be no shortage on pictures to scrap!

Sketch Stress

2010-07-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

Let me start off by saying I really don't like sketches. Some people look to sketches to get ideas....but they seriously stress me out. I stare at them forever, feeling my creativity being restricted with each glance at the sketch, then I stress over whether I followed the sketch properly and most times I don't. I prefer to just "wing" it. That is why this card took me FOREVER. And honestly- I didn't even follow the sketch properly. I kept checking to see if I had the right amount of layers ( I don't) and I just could not figure out how to make it work.

WHY did I make a card following a sketch?!? Because I signed up for a swap where we had to follow a sketch. It's cute too....and I bet people are going to come up with some super cute cards.....but I will probably be asked not to join any sketch swaps after this since I don't do them properly. LOL.

Here is the sketch that we were asked to follow-

and here is what I finally came up with-

I am going to apologize now to my fellow swappers for my inability to follow directions. Love you guys....sorry I was taken over by sketch stress. :-) Now I have to go make 5 more of these cards.....sigh.....

$75.00 Gift Card Giveaway!!!!

2010-07-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

I would like to introduce all of you to Jamie Koppi. Jamie is an amazing photographer in the Spring, TX area. She does school portraits, weddings, kids, family, boudoir....pretty much anything you can think of. She has a great personality and makes you feel very comfortable when she is taking pictures.

For all my scrapbooking friends out there- what better way to get some new pictures to scrapbook?! Take the kids or the family or the family pet (LOL) and use this $75 gift card towards some new photos! The gift card expires August 31st so make sure you book your session with Jamie as soon as you win! You have to have the pictures taken at her studio in Spring, TX but she does have an outdoor area if you are wanting outside shots.

How do I win you ask??! Just post a comment about how cool I am or how cool Jamie is and you are automatically entered. I will choose a winner via Random.org on Saturday so hurry up and comment!!!

July Card Swap

2010-06-27T08:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I intended on finishing 4 sets of 6 cards each. I only finished 3 sets but when the creativity runs out there isn't really much you can do. LOL.

All of these are for the July card swap in LMNOP.

This one is called one layer wonder. You have to create on the cardstock layer- no adding patterned paper or anything. I think the card looks elegant.....but kinda boring. I feel like I didn't put enough into it but how much can you really put into one layer? LOL.

This card theme was birthday- using orange, green, and blue. I love the green patterned paper, and the orange flower is pretty....I was probably stretching it a bit on the blue bling and blue ink for the stamp but hey....its all in the idea of the artist right? Ha-Ha

This card was supposed to be a thank you card focusing on flowers. So.....it has a flower on it- I'm glad the LMNOP girls are not strict or my creative ideas probably wouldn't be accepted. Hee-Hee.

Grungeboard Bracelet

2010-06-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

I saw this tutorial on Split Coast Stampers last week for a grunge board bracelet. I never wear jewelry but I thought the bracelet was so cute I wanted to make one. I had all the materials I needed so I made it tonight.

I didn't exactly follow the tutorial but that is because I was going by memory. So this is what I did.

I cut a piece of plain grungeboard and ran it thru the cuttlebug with a swirly folder. I then inked the embossed area with my distress ink. Then I thought....hmmm...something doesn't look right. At this point I checked the tutorial and realized I was supposed to paint it first. LOL. So I painted it....let it dry and then sanded it to reveal the embossed area so I could ink it again.

Danny actually has a little tool to add the snap and he even had the snaps. WOW....what a great guy to keep around! I added some embellishments, the snaps, and voila....Jenn has a new bracelet. And its so cute- I might actually wear it!

Project Organization

2010-06-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have finally gone thru my creativity room and organized a few things. Things were getting so bad I didn't have any table space left to create on. The closet is clean, I have weeded out some things I don't use anymore, and for right now....until I start on my next project, my room is CLEAN! So I figured now was the best time to share a few pictures.

Welcome.....

My ink pads are hanging on the wall now and my punches are now organized on the peg board. Underneath the peg board is a basket that holds all my cricut carts. That basket is sitting on a white chest that is FULL of paper packs that someday I am going to go thru and hopefully use. LOL.

My bling, buttons, and other odds and ends are stored in pails and hung from this shelf that is intended to be a towel rack. LOL.

Flowers, my cutters, markers, stamps and a few other odds and ends are stored in this corner.

After cleaning and organizing everything I finally have some open table space to play with.

My computer area...

I'm not quite confident enough to show you my closet area. LOL. The closet has those plastic shoe holders hanging from the doors that are stuffed with extra odds and ends. I have clip-its hanging from the shelf board with embellishments on them. A 50 shelf paper rack, a 10 drawer rolling cart, and some more shoe organizers hanging from the closet rod that holds all my cricut vinyl. LOL.

Don't scrap after 7pm.....

2010-06-05T21:54:00.000-05:00

I am not a late night scrapper. My creativity usually fizzles around 7pm no matter what time I start. So truthfully I knew better than to try and make a card tonight. But Danny was watching TV and there was a tutorial I wanted to try out. Since I started after my normal "cut-off" time I can not say whether the tutorial was bad or if I was bad. LOL. The card looks NOTHING like it is supposed to. Its not folded right, its not cut right, its not scored right.....if you were to look at my card and then the tutorial you would not realize they were supposed to match. HOWEVER.....I do like the card I created so I am keeping it. I am going to try the tutorial again another day and see if I can create the card I set out to make.

In the meantime.... this is what I have.

Card Making Class- July 11th!

2010-06-04T16:37:00.000-05:00

I will be teaching a card making class on July 11th from 12-2pm. The cost is $21.00 and includes all supplies. During the class you will make 4 beautiful cards (including the waterfall card featured below) and go home with the instructions in case you want to make them again! For more information on the class please contact me at jlynncarlen@yahoo.com
Space is limited so please get with me as soon as possible if you want to reserve your seat. Payment is due at the time you make your reservation and is non-refundable.

Waterfall Card Tutorial

2010-06-02T14:48:00.000-05:00

Here are the supplies you will need to create the Waterfall Card

Cutter

Scor-Pal (or score blade on your cutter)

Adhesive

Brads (2)

Eyelet (1)

Big Bite (or another type of eyelet setter)

Bling (or other type of embellishment)

Scallop Punch (or whatever you want to put on the squares)

Ribbon

Ink- to distress the edges of the squares and card mat

Paper cut as described below-

Card Base- 4 x 5.5 (mine is brown)

Card Mat- 3x5 (mine is pink)

Long Strip- 2x9 (mine is pink) - Score strip at 2", 2 3/4", 3 1/2", and 4 1/4

Horizontal Strip- 1x2 3/4 (mine is brown and pink pattern)

4 squares- Cut 2x2

4 or 8 scallops to fit inside the 2x2 squares ( I used 8. 2 on each square and one of them is added on top of the other using a pop dot for a 3 dimensional look)

Score your 2x9 strip

Next get your 4 squares ready. I inked mine around the edges and then added scallops on top of them. I actually used 2 scallops on each card and attached one on top of the other with a pop dot.

Now get ready to adhere your squares to the scored strip. Lay your strip vertically.

The bottom part of the strip is exactly 2x2. Adhere the first square in this 2x2 section. You are glueing down the entire square.

Adhere the next square just under the score line. You are only adhering the part of the square that fits between the two score lines- not the entire square.

Continue adding the rest of the squares between the 2 score lines.

Congratulations- the hard part is done.

Next you are going to ink your card mat.

You are going to add your horizontal strip now. I punched two holes and added brads to hold it in place. The strip should be about an inch from the bottom of the mat.

There is no glue behind this strip because the long 2x9 strip with your squares on it is going to slide underneath it.

First cover the strip with glue as shown below.

Glue down the bottom square.

Next fold the strip under.

So now are you almost done!

Add your eyelet at the bottom of the pull tab.

Now add your ribbon

Add your embellishments and your waterfall card is done!

Waterfall Card

2010-06-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

I have been searching tutorials for awhile now trying to figure out how to make a waterfall card. Tutorials sure do come in handy....but they are even better when they give the correct measurements! LOL! I went thru at least 3 bad tutorials before I was able to put 2 different ones together and figure it out. Making a card should really not be that hard! And once I figured it out- it was EASY. I don't have time today- but tomorrow I will post my own tutorial for this card and you will see how easy it actually is.

The recipient of the card pulls on the ribbon to create the "waterfall effect". The squares flip over. You can write a message on the pull tab so once the tab is pulled out the recipient can read it.

Monogram Cards

2010-05-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

We have a Monogram swap in my LMNO-Pea group for June. I used a "gate fold" card for this swap. Someone (kindly) pointed out to me that I put the monogram on the wrong side of the card. Maybe because I am left handed??? I don't know....it looks right to me. LOL.

Quilt Card

2010-05-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

I found this idea off another blog and thought it looked so cute I had to make my own.

For this card I cut 12 squares with my 1 1/4 square punch. I adhered them to 5x5 white card stock. I then ran them thru my cuttlebug with the Sizzix Top Note die cut ( I borrowed it from a friend but after this card I MUST have my own!). I inked the edges and then ran it back thru the cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder. In hindsight I should have inked last because I ended up getting ink on the embossing folder. LOL. Then I adhered the "quilt" to the card. I added a quote stamp from CTMH and the flowers.

I made 12 of the quilts (messed up 2 of them because I didn't have them sitting right on the top note die cut) , 10 cards and it took me about 4 hours. LOL. Granted- there was alot of talking and alot of eating in the middle, I was at a crop afterall. But I think the end result was totally worth it!

Ohhh Waxahachie How I LOVE you!

2010-05-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

We went up near Fort Worth for a friends wedding this weekend. I was able to sneak away on Friday night for a short trip to Waxahachie to visit The Crafty Scrapper. I have to say this is most likely the biggest scrapbook store I have ever seen. The shop takes up two store fronts and is located in an old historic-like downtown. I tried to focus on buying things I have never seen in Houston. That proved difficult since there was SO MUCH I had never seen before. The bulk of my purchases were Ten Second Studio molds and some Tim Holtz embellishments. Many other odds and ends ended up in my shopping basket as well. I asked Danny if we could move to Waxahachie but I got a flat out NO. So I am thinking a road trip with the girls is in order....I don't know how I lived this long without Waxahachie!

This is one of the way cool things I bought.

It is made by Darcies and they come in many differant shapes and sizes. This one was only $7.99 which I thought was a steal! The heavy chipboard is already distressed on the edges. I added a stamped image around the top layer. It's 3 layers thick so you could actually add some large embellishments on the inside if wanted. The doorknob is one of the Tim Holtz embellishments I used. And the great picture on the inside is actually from the wedding this weekend! LOL.

Altered Metal and Candle

2010-05-19T18:27:00.000-05:00

I bought these metal squares at Archivers this week made by Vintaj. I ran mine thru the cuttlebug and used some blue tinted alcohol ink to color it a little. Added a few embellishments, punched holes with my big bite and voila- a cute little wall hanger. I bought 5 of these and I have no idea what to do with the other four but I am sure I will figure something out. LOL.

In the last few days I have become addicted to buying Copic markers (thanks Michelle!). In 2 days I now have 20 markers and a cute little container for them. LOL. I picked up a project sheet at Hobby Lobby on adding a stamped image to a candle and I worked on that today. Here is the finished project.

Baby Album is Done!

2010-05-19T15:25:00.002-05:00

I finished the album today and am delivering it this afternoon. Hope they like it!

Now I have an altered metal canvas and a copic project I want to start/finish. If I get them done I will post pics tonight.

Fundraiser Benefitting Levi Brett

2010-05-18T16:35:00.001-05:00

Levi Brett is only 19 months old and started chemo this week to treat tumors that have attacked his kidney's.

I will be taking orders for custom 12x12 pages that are framed in either a white or black frame. These pages can be customized to your childs name, bedroom colors, family name, anything you would like. The frames will sell for $30 and $10 of each order will be donated to the Brett family to help with medical expenses.

Please browse thru my blog to get some ideas and send me an email with your order details. Be sure and indicate what color frame you want, what colors you want on the layout, and any quotes or names that you would like added.

If you have any questions please contact me!

Email me at jlynncarlen@yahoo.com

A few more baby pages

2010-05-18T16:13:00.002-05:00

I had some glue issues today and my glue exploded all over one of my layouts. I ended up having to stop and make a trip to Hobby Lobby for more glue and a few more goodies. Despite the glue tragedy I was still able to finish (3) 2 page layouts so 6 pages in all. I added some stickles to the Heaven Sent and have that drying right now and I will start back at it in the morning.

Baby Album

2010-05-17T15:07:00.000-05:00

I am working on a baby album that a friend ordered. She is giving it as a gift. I got a few pages done today and I will work more on it tomorrow.

Wedding Album

2010-05-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

I finished up the wedding album gift I was working on last night. Here are just a few of the pages (some of my faves) from the album.

I also made a tri-fold card.

I am going to make another tri-fold card when I start on my next order (a baby album) and I will try and post a small tutorial for those wondering how to make them. Once you get the hang of it they are REALLY easy and don't take long at all.

Welcome Sign

2010-05-05T19:32:00.000-05:00

I wanted to make my Grandma a small something for Mother's Day. I bought a canvas at Hobby Lobby and altered it using glimmer mist, dabber paint, some stamps, stencils, and a few embellishments. I added a shabby looking ribbon to add to the antique look. I kinda want to make one for me now....another time I guess.

Gift Bag Tags

2010-05-03T17:54:00.000-05:00

I made these gift bag tags for Danny's Mom and my Grandma. The one for Danny's Mom is tied to her birthday gift bag. The other one will be for my Grandma for Mother's Day. These were fun, quick, and easy to make. I used Tattered Angel chipboard after being inspired by their blog. I have had the chipboard for a long time and wasn't sure what to do with it. I sprayed it with a variety of colors of glimmer mist, inked around the embossed areas, stamped with Staz-On and added some embellishments. I made two holes in the top and strung it with tulle to hang on the gift bag. If they wanted to they could hang them around a door knob or something later for a little decoration.

A look back....

2010-04-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

I love this picture of my Grandparents. This was taken in 1975! 3 years before I was born and started giving them gray hair! LOL!

Musical Scrapbooking

2010-04-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

At the LMNOP Retreat we played musical scapbooking. We each had a page kit with pictures that we wanted done. We went around in a circle and each person spent 3 minutes scrapbooking each others pages. It was great fun and I came home with a cute layout. We only did one page in the game so I finished the second page at the retreat.

Acrylic and Chipboard Albums

2010-04-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

I used an acrylic album for our Koyote Ranch pictures. I really like how the album turned out and Danny really liked it too.

I had lots of puppy pictures to use up so I used a LOVE chipboard album for those.

Side Note- There was a tool tragedy over the weekend that occured. May my Martha Stewart flower vine punch rest in peace. She was murdered. Apparently I am stronger than I realized....

Coaster Art

2010-04-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

I made several different coaster "albums" this weekend. I used pictures that I didn't really know how to make work on a layout. These required little to no thought, limited creativity, and limited focus which was great for when I was tired or the room was getting really loud. LOL. I used 4x4 square coasters and the edges are rounded so I rounded all the edges when I covered them in paper and also inked the edges. Added pictures, a few embellishments and ribbon. Easy. They are now hanging all over my creativity room.

Cards

2010-04-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

I worked on alot of cards at the retreat this weekend.

For a swap I made a monochromatic card. My color was pink.

The flower is a pink silk flower and I stamped on it (random pattern) with a pink ink pad.

I also made gift card holders for a swap. These were alot of fun. I was intimidated at the idea of making them because it was "out of my comfort zone" but I LOVE how they turned out.

I also made (again for a swap) "girlfriend" themed cards and I finished up some thank you cards that have been sitting in my scrap case forever.

Retreat Bound and a Tick Tock

2010-04-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in forever because I have been saving all my projects for my retreat this weekend. I am packed and ready to go!!!!

Yesterday at Hobby Lobby I bought a few little black and white things that I found in the garden department. Black pails, an organizer, some cute bead curtains, some bird hooks, and this adorable vinyl lamp sticker for the wall with BLING!

I hung the bead curtains right away and I love the light they let in. My old curtains were heavy and dark. These are just very girly and fun. I plan on cutting some vinyl words and decorative pictures this weekend for my black pails and I will organize everything when I get back.

I did get inspired to shabby up a clock that I have. It was pink and I have had it forever and wanted something differant.

First I painted it with black paint.

I just did a very thin layer of black paint then I added Tim Holtz crackle paint and let it all dry.

I used a big nail file block to sand it all down. It thinned out the black paint and brought thru some of the pink. I added some bling to it also. The pictures don't do it justice. Its super cute.

Coaster

2010-03-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post a pic of the coaster we made at the crop. It was a make and take. I am SO going to make some more of these! Super easy and cute!

Helping Hank Crop

2010-03-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

Today was the Helping Hank crop fundraiser. I had a great time. Everyone was so great and I think baby Hank is destined for great things. I worked on a few odds and ends today. Mostly cards.

This is a tin and inside of it you can put a little mini album.

This is an envelope album. I am going to use it to store receipts for work.

Flip Flop Bling!

2010-03-12T16:12:00.000-06:00

Typically when I go to Hobby Lobby I head straight for the scrapbook section and don't really go anywhere else. Today I saw a $1.99 flip flop sign and thought hmmm....I could use some of those. While in the aisle I discovered flip flop bling! How fun! I bought two pair of flip flops for $1.99 each and 2 packs of bling for $3.99 each. The bling is precut and made to fit the flops so it was super easy! And look how cute!

A few layouts

2010-03-07T15:23:00.000-06:00

I finished up alot of half way started layouts while I was at the retreat. I also created these. The snowman one was from a pagekit that I got at the MMM crop in January.

Cards

2010-03-07T15:20:00.000-06:00

These are the cards I worked on during the retreat weekend.

This owl card was originally created for a "feathered friends" swap....but....I made another card that I like better for that category so we will see later what I decide to do with these cards.

This card was made for the "artists choice" swap that will take place at the April LMNOP retreat.

This is the card I think I will use for the feathered friends swap. I used a Creative Memory scallop punch on this card and after trying it out....ordered it from Mary before leaving the swap.

Flip Calendar

2010-02-23T13:28:00.000-06:00

I am enrolled in an online class teaching us how to use our Designer Calendar Cricut Cartridge. Our 2nd assignment was a flip calendar. I used Bazzill Swiss Dots paper. The circles are 5 inches. It took FOREVER to cut out all the cirlces. You could only cut 2 circles per piece of paper so I also used a ton of paper. I set up an assembly line and while one 12x12 mat was in the cutter I was loading the 2nd 12x12 mat.

Altered Clip Board

2010-02-18T17:58:00.000-06:00

As a realtor, the clipboard is probably my most used item out of all my office supplies. This clipboard was stained and someone in my office was going to throw it away. OH NO.....I can work with that I told her. LOL. So I added some paper, some rub - ons, and my signature bling. Its cute and fun and will serve its purpose in the office.

Scrappy Class

2010-02-17T19:01:00.000-06:00

My friend Mandy and I took a scrappy class today with about 10 other girls. What fun we had! I also learned a few new things so I had a great time. We made 4 one page layouts. Well....that is what we were supposed to do....I only finished 3. LOL.

My favorite page....

This family page I am going to use for the baby album I am working on for Nicole....

This page is actually missing the center green photo mat. I need to resize it and haven't done that yet. I love the ribbon threading we did on this page and HOPEFULLY have the patience to do it again later when I am working on something at home.

Design Calendar Class

2010-02-13T21:11:00.000-06:00

I signed up for a cricut class @ My Creative Classroom. They are offering a design calendar class for only $15 so I jumped on it. Our first assignment was to choose a month and make a calendar. I chose November @ Danny's request. The 17th is Danny's birthday and the 27th is my Grandpa's birthday so I added a little stickles to the grid around those days. I am excited about this class and looking forward to finishing the calendar!

What a Hoot!

2010-02-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

I had a really great day today and somewhere in there I had a burst of creativity. It seems like lately I am just doing a page here and there- not actually sitting down for the entire day playing. That's ok though....its easier to clean up a mess after an hour than it is after 8 hours! LOL!
I remembered that I had some no set eyelets and brads that I bought way back in September at a convention. Then it dawned on me that I had a cuttlebug folder that I bought last summer with an owl on it and my plan was put into action.

This 2 page layout is for a gift babybook. I only have a few layouts left to make. I used my doodletype cartridge for the title.

Silly Monkey Layouts

2010-02-10T11:14:00.000-06:00

Pre-made Layouts

2010-02-09T17:49:00.000-06:00

The last part of the baby shower gift.....a 12x12 premade book which is almost complete. I have a few more layouts to do and then I am done....for a few months....until we find out the sex of our other friends baby and then I will be busy making baby stuff again. LOL.
This is going to be the first page in the baby book. I love that most of the items on this page have been in my stash for centuries and I was finally able to put them to good use! :-)

Wooden Frame- Monkey Style

2010-02-09T14:35:00.000-06:00

My friend Nicole had this awesome altered wooden frame that our friend Lisa made for her. It was so cute I wanted to try and make one as a gift. Mine is not nearly as cute as the one Lisa made. In fact....Danny described it as "not my best work". LOL. HOWEVER, I do think its cute and I think the recipient will love it. The baby nursery is going to be monkey themed so I added a little 3-d sticker on it. I bought one of those $2.00 wooden frames at Hobby Lobby and I painted it brown. Then I used scrap paper and modge podge to glue it on randomly. Added the flower and the sticker and thats it. It was very fast and easy.

MMM- Things accomplished

2010-01-31T11:19:00.000-06:00

We had a great time at the quarterly MMM crop on Saturday. I think we managed to scrap for about 10 hours! Of course....there was alot of talking and eating inbetween!

I worked on cards for the LMNOP card swap. I made 11 cards total. One design based on a sketch that was provided and another design just meant to be for general all purpose card giving.

I also worked on some baby shower gifts.

Colorado Trip....

2010-01-22T15:27:00.000-06:00

We went to Colorado right after Christmas. We had a great time but it was so crazy cold there! Bouncer loved his first snow experience! Danny took some great shots and I still have probably 100 more to scrap! LOL!

See how the frame around our picture says Colorado? Thank you to my new Destinations Cricut Cart- Very cool!

The puppies....

2010-01-22T15:21:00.000-06:00

Danny took these pics playing outside with his new camera. The dogs are such great models!

Big Bend Trip

2010-01-22T15:19:00.000-06:00

We took a Big Bend trip in October. I am WAY behind on my scrapin! I drove in the car but Danny and his SOT brothers rode their bikes. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. I rode on the bike thru the Big Bend Park- it was so beautiful! When I bought this laser cut I wasn't sure what I would use it for but I think its perfect for our trip with the SOT boys.

The finished product....

2010-01-10T16:50:00.000-06:00

And the salt cards are done! This was originally a make 6 get one of your own swap. At the end of sign-ups it became a make 4 get one of your own. The cards are glossy so I needed to use staz-on for the ink. By the time I was done I had messed up 2 of them so I have 3 complete for the other players and none for me. LOL. Oh well....I can make more whenever I need them.

Playing with Salt

2010-01-09T07:17:00.000-06:00

Many many months ago I read about a salt technique in a magazine. I cut out the article and it has been in my "idea book" ever since. I tried it out last night. You use ink to color in cardstock. I just randomly applied the distressed ink to a card. Then spritz with water and drizzle with table salt. You let it sit for a few hours and the salt absorbs the color giving it a unique look. These will be my female birthday cards....but I am still deciding what to add to them.

Male Birthday Card for LMNOP

2010-01-09T07:14:00.000-06:00

My first swap of 2010! YEA! I am participating in a male and female birthday card swap thru LMNOP. These are my male birthday cards. I had fun creating these and it was nice to finally get back into the scrappy swing of things!

Playing Catch Up!

2009-12-21T07:47:00.000-06:00

I am SO far behind on everything! I haven't posted or created anything in over a month! I have been training with Coldwell Banker for a month now and just trying to get things in order. I created a few Christmas gifts on Saturday and am looking forward to 2010 where I already have 2 weekend retreats planned!!!
The recipe holder I made holds 26 recipes that are A-Z dips and spreads. I am giving it to my Grandma. The other two layouts are gifts for my Grandparents and Danny's parents. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

A few creations

2009-11-16T14:54:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in a few weeks. I have been recovering from knee surgery. I am finally able to get around and have the scrappin bug back! I made a 12x12 layout for a friends engagement/housewarming gift. The party is Saturday. I need to get a frame for it. I have no clue what their color scheme is....so I am hoping they like it!

I have also been working on a few craft show things. Making tons of Christmas cards and a few odds and ends. I did make a few "all occasion" cards that I LOVE. They are so perfect because you can use them for ANYTHING! I used my CTMH card kit to make these. The inside is blank. These are all going to the craft show! Now....I need to get busy on my albums!

Together Forever

2009-10-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have had this awesome frame for a month or so and haven't had time to do anything with it. So last night- in a rare late night burst of energy I came up with something fun. I was able to use some old goodies and some new goodies on the layout. The big picture is us in Antigua. The small circle shaped picture is us in Big Bend. The small 1" square pictures are us in a Moody Gardens picture booth being goofy. I filled the metal rimmed heart with stickles and then added glossy effects to it.
Danny says we don't have room to hang anything in the house but this frame hangs off a cute black ribbon and I am determined to find a home for it!

Coming Soon! Monthly Challenges!

2009-10-21T12:51:00.001-05:00

Get ready friends! A new version of the Use it Up Challenges will be coming soon. I will be posting the occasional challenge on my blog and giving my readers a chance to win fun prizes! Stay tuned!!!

Another Archiver's Sunday

2009-10-18T20:29:00.004-05:00

I am busy getting ready for my December craft show. Here are a few more layouts I made today. I had a great day. There were only 5 people at the crop today so I had a huge table to myself and the creativity was flowing for 7 hours! All of these pages have a 2nd page that matches but I am only posting the main page.

My Archiver's Sunday

2009-10-05T12:21:00.003-05:00

I spent Sunday afternoon at Archivers with my friends Nicole and Michelle. We had a great time and I accomplished a few things. It was the perfect day to scrap- rainy and dark and we had PLENTY of treats and snacks to keep us going!

I made a sympathy card for my aunt who just lost her daughter to cancer. My poor Aunt has lost her husband and her daughter to cancer.

I also made a 2 page layout that I think I will end up putting in one of my for sale books. I just love the colors together. The paper was in a pack I got from a scrap mania. October 18th is my next Archivers scrappy day if anyone wants to come out and play!

Technique Tuesday Page Kits

2009-09-26T10:33:00.003-05:00

I worked on two page kits last night from Technique Tuesday. CKC purchases!! I had a chatty Cathy sitting at my table so it was hard to concentrate and read the directions. I ended up just doing my own thing and not following the directions at all. I like the result. I think my favorite is Time Flies....

Blog CANDY for a CURE!!!!

2009-09-23T14:48:00.003-05:00

Ok friends, family, and people I don't know but hope to someday call a friend.....I need help raising money for my AVON walk. The walk is in April 2010 and I have to raise a minimum of $1800.00. You can check out my AVON walk page by clicking HERE.

Ok....so here is the blog candy scoop. I have some awesome goodies to give away. Have you seen the new cricut cuttables? FUN STUFF! I have the cricut cuttables embossing folders AND stamp kit! A $50+ value! You can create your own embossing folders for the cuttlebug and your very own acrylic stamps with these kits. (You have to have a cricut tho!)

This is all about raising money for my AVON walk so for each dollar you donate to my AVON walk(<----click there to donate!!!!) - you get one entry.
I will also give you one entry for posting this to YOUR blog and then letting me know you did so.
So for example- if you donate $10 to my walk and then post about it on your blog you would have ELEVEN entries! If you have Facebook and post about it there I will also count that as one entry.

Blog Candy runs thru October 15th so spread the word!!!

Thanks in advance for helping find a cure!!!!

San Marcus - Here I come!!!

2009-09-15T15:55:00.002-05:00

Friday can not get here fast enough. I am heading up to San Marcus to visit Melody and indulge in a scrappy weekend. Embassy Suites is hosting the Creating Keepsakes Convention and we will be there ALL weekend. We will even be scrappin until midnight with all the other crazy scrappers out there. If you live near a convention- I highly recommend attending at least once. The Houston convention was a few months ago and I had a blast.

Ohhhhh Christmas Cards!

2009-09-06T21:41:00.003-05:00

I ordered these adorable card kits from Close to My Heart to make Christmas cards. Not only am I loving the color theme, but the cards were quick and easy to put together and I think they are awesome! I added a few embellishments of my own that I found in my stash but for the most part everything came with the kit. 12 cards for $14 and everything is pre-cut!!!! Homemade cards in less time than it takes to pick some up at the store! Very cool!

Pre-designed Pages

2009-08-30T18:07:00.004-05:00

I am starting to work on a few things for my FIRST EVER show in December. I am super excited! I am designing a few different books for the show. A wedding themed and a baby themed book for sure, and then who knows what else. Here are a few pics to peek your interest! I promise nothing is crooked....just scanned in a little crooked. LOL!

Vinyl on the bike!

2009-08-24T17:03:00.003-05:00

Danny's road name is Lucky and if you have seen the Indie cart you know it has this cool Lucky image on there. I showed it to Danny and he asked if I could cut it in vinyl for his windshield. So we sized it out and cut it in white vinyl. I also made a Lucky's Girl for my helmet. I think it looks great and Danny loves it.

Close to my Heart- FREE Stuff!!!!!

2009-08-21T08:37:00.002-05:00

Delight in the Everyday with this adorable Everyday Celebration campaign. You can purchase this kit outright for $39.95 or get a kit for FREE when you purchase a minimum of $60 in stamp sets between August 18th - September 30th.

Everyday Celebration Card Kit includes:
1 - My Acrylix Everyday Celebration Stamp Set(D size, Only available with this kit!)
16 - 41/4x5 1/2 Colonial White card bases16 - 41/4x 51/2
Colonial White envelopes1 - 12x12 Dutch Blue cardstock1 - 12x12 Colonial White cardstock
4 - 12x12 B&T Duos paper1 -
Chocolate Distressing Ink1 -
Dutch Blue Distressing Ink1 -
Mini-Medley Accents Shades of Chocolate collection5' -
Chocolate Ribbon w/ Colonial White Stitch50 -
3-D Foam SquaresSponge1 -
Full color step-by-step Instructional Brochure

AWESOME!!!!! Just go to my website (<----click) and place your order. I can't wait to order this set! I am lovin the blues and browns together!

Halloween

2009-08-10T20:59:00.002-05:00

Thinking about Halloween makes me think that someday....possibly soon....it won't be 101 degrees outside. We dress up the dogs for a hilarious 3 seconds every year on Halloween so I love snapping pics of the dogs hanging their heads in shame and totally embarrassed to be dressed like pumpkins. I am doing two Halloween themed swaps in my group. One for cards and one for black and orange tags. Thanks to my friend Lisa I was able to use the pumpkin template on some black magic paper. Oh the miracles of black magic! LOL!

Close to my Heart- August Special

2009-08-10T09:01:00.004-05:00

The August special (order before the 17th) is one you really shouldn't miss. If you spend $100 you get the August stamp of the month free PLUS you get a free level two paper pack! Free stuff is always good. AND as an added thank you there is no tax or shipping charges on the freebies!!!

If you email me I would love to give you details on my new Shoppers Reward Club that I am starting. Think more freebies and discounted stuff. This is offered THRU ME not thru CTMH - it's a special promotion that I am offering to thank my loyal customers for their business. Email me for details! And be sure and check out my website! (<-----click there). The new idea books are out and I would be happy to mail you one. The Christmas stuff is a MUST HAVE! As always- email me or comment if you have a question!

The park

2009-08-06T08:28:00.002-05:00

Danny took these great pics of Bouncer playing at the dog park. I had alot of fun with this layout. The circle rings came from Technique Tuesday- I bought them @ the CKC convention. I used glimmer mist on them, stamped them with the puppy paw, and then blinged them out a little. I also used a stamp on the letters and the flowers which was a technique taught at the CKC convention that I had forgotten about. Overall I love this layout. I framed it and hung it on the wall in my creativity room. It also won the most votes for the July contest so its on our home page right now.

Me and my honey @ Counting Crows

2009-08-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

Anniversary Card

2009-07-08T08:46:00.004-05:00

We are doing an anniversary card swap in my group. I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a card that you would give to say....your parents, or if I wanted to make a card that you would give to your spouse/significant other. So I chose to make one that I could see myself giving to Danny on our anniversary. I've been on an inchie kick lately so I incorporated that into my card. Hope everyone in the swap likes it.

Fun in the Photo Booth!

2009-07-05T07:38:00.002-05:00

I can't resist a photo booth! We took these at Moody Gardens and had so much fun! More Moody Garden and 4th of July pics coming soon! (Just click on the picture for a better view!)

Tag Day!

2009-07-02T17:27:00.001-05:00

I had a few hours to play today and I was feeling inspired after my trip to the LSS. I have a tag swap in my group and we make a different themed tag each month. The next two I needed were floral, and then "anything".

The floral tags were fun. I used my new pastel colored alcohol inks to make the nesting flowers and then added a friendship quote rub-on and some floral ribbon.

For the "anything goes" I covered the tag in a stamp and then added a CTMH stamp that says Captured Memories, embossed it with some glitter, added a flower and a little bling brad and Voila.

Are these clean?????

2009-07-02T07:27:00.002-05:00

I loathe putting dishes away and do everything I can to make sure that chore belongs to Danny. He gladly puts them away......but never knows if the dishwasher has been run or not. Tired of answering the question "are these clean?" I created a magnet this morning for the dishwasher. I used a 4x6 magnet, scrap paper, and random alpha stickers. It was super easy and I think its adorable.

Inchies....SO CUTE!

2009-06-23T07:57:00.001-05:00

I did an inchie swap in my group and everyone was responsible for making a letter. We spelled out Live, Laugh, Love and I added it to a black frame this morning. The frame was a little scratched up so I added some embellishments around it to cover the scratches. I am LOVING THIS! I cant wait to make another one. I am trying to think of different quotes to do. I signed up for two spots in this swap so the one in the picture will be for my Grandma and I will make another today for the house.

Fredericksburg Trip

2009-06-22T09:09:00.002-05:00

I bought this paper at Journey Lane in Fredericksburg and already knew what I wanted to do with it before I got home. The layout turned out basically as I envisioned. The only problem I ran across was the paper was a little thick for the cricut and the letters didn't cut very well. No biggie tho- I just inked them up and made them look shabby. LOL. I love these girls and we had so much fun. I cant wait to go back in July!!!!

Our Anniversary

2009-06-20T18:51:00.003-05:00

Well our official anniversary is June 22 but we celebrated early. I had my tonsils removed yesterday (June 19) so we celebrated our anniversary with my "last dinner" and we went to Smith and Wollenesky. It was a GREAT dinner. Some of the best food I think we have ever had. An interesting evening though. The unlicensed valet backed our truck into a VW convertible and put a nice big hole in the poor ladies car. Two police officers were called in and they even came up and visited us at our dinner table after everything was said and done and wished us a happy anniversary. LOL. So Danny made me an awesome frame as a gift with family pictures in it. I LOVE it! Its hanging in our entryway.
Hopefully next week I will be well enough to sit up and get scrappy. I have lots of pictures to scrap and I am really looking forward to it!

June- Deal a Day!!!!!

2009-06-07T16:38:00.001-05:00

For those of you that don't know.....Close to My Heart is offering a deal a day in June. Each day they post a new deal. It's always something FREE or something at a significant discount, and shipping is discounted as well. If you need help placing an order just let me know. Last week I ordered a $120 goodie box discounted to $60!!!! WOOOO HOOOOO!
Check out my website (<-----click there) everyday- after 10am (Central) and see what the new deal is!!!

Kiddie Cowboy Cards

2009-06-07T11:47:00.001-05:00

For our August card swap the theme is kids birthday. So I decided to do a Cowboy theme. I have to admit- these cards are mostly 3-d stickers, some ribbon, and a few stamps....but I think they turned out cute.

Inchies Galore!

2009-06-03T18:44:00.002-05:00

In my yahoo group we are doing an inchie swap. Once completed everyone will have a set of inchies that spell out Live, Laugh, Love. My idea is to take the set of inchies and frame it. So my assigned letter was L. I signed up for two spots and got L for both so I did an upper and a lower case L. I am also doing the commas for everyone that is playing- 13 people. So 26 commas. I did the commas 3 differant times because I couldn't come up with something I liked. I like what I have now. I can not wait for the swap to be done and to see what they all look like together!

New Baby Gifts

2009-05-17T16:47:00.003-05:00

I have a friend pregnant with her first baby. I wanted to make a little something for the nursery that was unique. So I put a few things together today and had so much fun doing the girly theme. The babies name will be Allison Rose which I think is ADORABLE so I wanted to be sure and incorporate it into the gifts. I have the name on the layout as well is in the butterfly album.

My Design Team Attempt

2009-05-16T22:14:00.003-05:00

I made 2 layouts in an attempt to be chosen for the Coredinations design team. Everyone knows I love that paper....especially the black magic. And I desperately wanted to design for them! Sadly, I didn't make it....but I have what I believe to be two really great layouts!

In the spirit of Red, White, and Blue

2009-05-16T22:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight I finished my red, white, and blue tags for our swap. I also finished up my military cards. I have encouraged the wonderful ladies in my group to create some thank you cards for our hard working soldiers. I will be sending them out in June and hope that they make it around the 4th of July. Right now I have 21 cards spoken for....hopefully we get even more signed up!

My BIG Create

2009-04-25T20:47:00.003-05:00

This idea came to life in another class I took. It was a fun class and I really love the color combinations. Again, I came up with my own idea for this project since we were supposed to make an album. So I covered the 6x6 chipboard squares in class. Came home and painted the chipboard with my paint dabbers, added the rub-ons that I found in my stash, and added the Prima flowers that I bought today. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I already have a create sign in here....but ya know what? I think there is room for two because this one is rockin and will definetly inspire some creativity.

Display as you wish

2009-04-25T20:39:00.004-05:00

Today was the CK convention downtown. I had a blast! Bought tons of goodies and drooled over tons more! LOL! I took 3 classes today. 2 of them were awesome. The first class I took was titled display as you wish. We were given paper and chipboard and we were supposed to make an album that either sat on your desk or hung on the wall. Well, I covered the chipboard during class, inked it, and added the binder rings. When I got home I added more chipboard spelling out my name and a few embellishments. I love the colors and the paper is awesome. I was super excited because some of the paper we used in this class was by coredinations (see the red torn paper??). It was fun and this piece of art will be on my wall somewhere in the creativity room. I asked Danny if he wanted me to make him one but for some reason he said no. LOL!

2 Spring layouts

2009-04-20T08:40:00.003-05:00

I finally got around to scrappin the bluebonnet pictures that the very talented Julie took of us! I LOVE these pictures. I went a little overboard ordering the pictures tho....I think I ordered 5 copies of each picture. HAHA!
Here are two layouts that I did. The red one is made of all scraps (except the 12x12 backing). That was a challenge that I issued in my group and I wanted to try it for myself! The purple layout is for the Homepage Contest- Spring themed.

Wedding and Thank You Card

2009-04-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

This wedding card took me ALL day. LOL! Well....maybe not all day, but it took me a long time. I made 8 of these. I only need 4 for a swap, but I thought they turned out really pretty. I cut 3 different sized squares, rounded the top corners, and embossed them with swiss dots. Then I used a sponge to "color" them with a light pink. I used my border punch to make the "lace". It was tedious....but I really like the way they turned out. I stamped a simple "congratulations" on the inside of the card in the same pale pink color.

The thank you card is for my friend Nicole who gave me my birthday present today! A hobby lobby gift card. And ya know what I'm gonna get? That giant paper storage thing I had my eye on the other day. Yes...I know....I already have one....but its overflowing and I need another one!!! I used the chocolate box paper and my handy cuttlebug to emboss it. It's very simple, but I love it. I used distressed ink around the edges. Nicole will be impressed. LOL.

I finished a few other layouts today and the photo cubes- I will try and post those pics later. My creativity room is a disaster so I need to call it a night and start cleaning up.

Happy Scrappy Saturday!!

2009-04-18T11:02:00.004-05:00

Today is my scrappy Saturday and I am super excited! I have the house to myself (except for the dogs) and I have been busy since about 8am!
Here are a few cards I created the other day and thought I would take a break to post them. One of them is a Mother's Day card I made for a swap. I added a bookmark to this card for a little something different. The second one is a Thank you card that I also made for a swap. I used my black magic paper for the butterflies and the embossed thanks. Gotta love the cuttlebug and the black magic paper.....they were made for each other!
I have several projects I am working on today and I will post more pictures later!

DONATE for your chance to WIN!!!!!

2009-04-14T12:45:00.003-05:00

Help me reach my goal and you could win!!!!
For every $10 you donate to my AVON walk between NOW and May 14, 2009 you get your name thrown into a pot. The first drawing will take place on May 15, 2009. Just go to my AVON page (listed below) and donate what you can. Post a comment on my blog letting me know you donated and that's it. You are eligible to win lots of cool goodies.
Goodies to be won....
My Minds Eye "Enlightened" Acrylic Stamp Set, "Enlightened" ribbon, 3 packs of "enlightened" glitter stickers, My Minds Eye "graceful" ribbon and "graceful" alphabet stickers!!!!
Oh and what would a Jenn giveaway be without bling? So I'm throwing in some gemstones and pearls to go with it! WHAT A DEAL!!!!! All of this is valued at over $40!!!!

So PLEASE donate if you can! EVERYTHING helps!!!! Tell your friends!

MANY Thank You's!!!!!!!!!

http://www.avonwalk .org/goto/ jenncarlen

Get Ready for National Scrapbook Day!!!!!

2009-04-14T10:23:00.002-05:00

National Scrapbook Day is May 2. I have the house to myself all weekend so I decided I would do a huge online crop full of challenges, games, and of course- prizes. First things first- if you want to play you have to join my yahoo group! Memory Scrappers is my Yahoo group and we have TONS of fun! I have made some very wonderful friends in this group and I can guarantee you will have a blast.

Happy Birthday to Me !!!

2009-04-08T13:14:00.003-05:00

Today is my 31st birthday!!! WOOO HOOOO! This is going to be the best year yet- I can just feel it!!!!
So today I was visiting my friend Rhonda's blog and she had a link to another blog with blog candy so I just had to check it out! So this generous lady giving away blog candy - her name is Jaci- and today is her birthday too!!!! WOW!
Check out her blog, wish her Happy Birthday and you are entered for her candy! Check out her blog <-----(click there) - super cute stuff!!!

Happy Birthday to me and Jaci, and AngiK's daughter, and Debbie's daughter! LOL!

This pretty little digital design came from my friend Denise! Isn't it cool?? Thanks Denise!!!!

Close to My Heart- Summer Idea Book

2009-04-07T10:19:00.001-05:00

The FABULOUS new summer idea books are in! With some great May freebies up for grabs with a minimum purchase you have got to check out the new stuff!!!
Leave a comment or email me if you want an idea book. I can have them out to you before May 1 so you have plenty of time to pick out your goodies!!!

www.jenncarlen.myctmh.com

I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-07T08:59:00.003-05:00

April 4 and 5 was the Houston Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I walked 26.2 miles over 2 days! I raised $1,910.00 for breast cancer awareness with the help of family and friends. It was an exhausting weekend but I am so happy that I did it!!! I walked in memory of Leo Romeijn. Danny's brother died in November 2008 from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Cure one cancer.....cure them all!

Blog Candy Winner!!!!

2009-04-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

The blog candy winner goes to comment number 12 (number picked by my friend Amber via instant message LOL). Number 12 is Laura Burleson!!! YEA LAURA! WOW you are on a WINNING STREAK!!!!!!
Here is what you are getting......yup....that's right.....there is Tim Holtz stuff in there! WOOO HOOO! Hope you love it!

Thanks to everyone for their comments! Laura- candy will go postal tomorrow! Love ya!