Sometimes it's good to have a bossy friend...

I say "bossy" with much love! My friend Janette gave me a chipboard album for Christmas. I have never done a chipboard album, never really saw a need for something so little and in all honesty I was a bit intimidated by them! So her cute little gift sat in my craft room and would have remained there if it were not for her bossy insistence that I do something with it. She even offered the idea inspiration, something to do with Valentine's day! My wheels of creativity started creaking to life and a vision of it popped into my head. I was still a little afraid though, often my visions do not translate well to paper! My first order of business was to get appropriate paper, and what better paper to use for a Valentine book than Nikki Sivils 'Sugar Cookie' line? Once that was accomplished I then needed to carve out time to actually work on it, easier said than done! This past week started out wonderfully and ended on a very flu ridden note! My daughters and I all came down with it around the same time and spent the second half of the week fighting off fevers and body aches...soooo not fun! Finally yesterday I was feeling a bit better so I got to work. I was amazed by 2 things; first was how flippin' long it took to make and second was that it actually came together just as I imagined! So I am thankful to my bossy friend and her idea inspiration! Here is my very first chipboard album!

Blog problems...

So I am having problems posting a comment to certain blogs as well as my own. I keep getting this error code:bX-54y3lx anyone ever see this before? It's really frustrating and even my tech savvy husband can't figure it out! So my blog may change in the next day or two, hopefully I can get it sorted out!

BIG, BIG News!!

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen as one of the newest Design Team members for the challenge blog These are a few of my favorite things!! I am beyond excited and am so honored to be amongst such vast talent! I am hoping to learn and absorb a tiny fraction of that talent working with all these ladies! Go check out the blog and check out all the other Design Team members, they are amazing! Thanks again Julie for this exciting opportunity! Here is a list of the other DT members:


Valerie Allen http://www.craftygolucky.blogspot.com/ 
Debbie Burns http://lovelifeslittlepleasures.blogspot.com/ 
Erika Taylor http://taylordconcepts.blogspot.com/ 
Melissa Wilson http://brewerygirlmel.blogspot.com/ 
Sue Mylde http://justperspective.blogspot.com/ 
Misty Willis http://mommyof5kidz.blogspot.com/ 
Irini Liolia http://thelimitationsofthought.blogspot.com/ 
Krista Koenig http://redcarproductions.blogspot.com/ 
Melissa Zordilla (Isay) http://isay-creativegenius.blogspot.com/ 
Andrea MacDonald http://andreasmetta.blogspot.com/ 
Jolanda Goeshttp://verderhebikniksmeegemaakt.blogspot.com/ 
Leanne Love http://www.loveleanne.blogspot.com/
Wendy Swenne http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/
Diana Fisher: http://www.designbydiana.blogspot.com/

Big giveaway on Nikki Sivils Blog

If you are not already a follower (and even if you are) you should head over to Nikki Sivils blog and check out the "secret" giveaway of her gorgeous 'Sugar Cookie' paper line.  I love her stuff and I am lamenting that I don't have nearly enough of it right now so I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that I am the lucky winner! Either way I hope she gets more blog followers, she really does have great stuff! Good Luck!

It's Thursday again....

...and do you know what that means? It means it's Thursday silly! No really, it is time for another sketch from Sketchy Thursdays ( I am loving this sketch a week deal, I am getting so much done and trying so many new things!) So this time I got my layout done early, as opposed to yesterday just making it in under the wire. I didn't win yesterday but I'll keep trying. I figure at some point the random generator has to pick me. Really though, my goal is to be picked as a favorite of one of the design team members! I am running out of pictures though, I hope my order from Shutterfly comes in soon!

 I used black memory thread to wrap the photo:

persistence and perseverance...

Here is yet another entry for Sketchy Thursdays weekly sketch challenge! Hey, if nothing else, I'll get a sketch a week done and that is a good thing!

Try new things...

This week as I was reading my latest Creating Keepsakes Magazine, I discovered a really cool new technique that was easy enough even I could do it! Although I did have some trepidation as it involved my own handwriting on the page for something other than journaling and I notoriously HATE my handwriting. I do NOT have a steady hand as my scrapping friends can tell you! But I tried it anyway (I know quite the rebel!) and, actually I was really happy with how it turned out! I am even entering it into a sketch challenge at Blue Moon Scrapbooking (if I ever figure out how to upload it!) Here's the layout:

This is the new technique, doodling. I kept it simple with just the word 'Love'

Killing two contests with one layout!

This is the Sketchy Thursdays most recent sketch contest layout:

Here is my version of it:

The reason I say I got two contests from this one sketch is because I am also entering it into the 

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things blog challenge. So wish me luck! 

Goodbye 2008...or so I thought!

I decided to stay up late one night last week and finish the last few remaining photos of 2008. I had just purchased some great My Minds Eye Christmas paper and was inspired! I got right to work and not only was it a layout that used 95% My Minds Eye, it was also the Sketchy Thursdays FB secret sketch! So I posted the final product on both FB pages and sat back to admire my work...then it hit me! I still have a ton of 2008 photos to do for my daughters albums! UGH!! Sometimes I hate that I am so compulsive about the whole scrapping chronologically thing but I get panicked if I think about doing something different! I create more work for myself yes, but I am able to capture all the moments of our lives that I love and I can share them with my girls too!

I am very excited for the New Year my only real resolutions or rather goals (I hate the term "resolution") are to eat a bit healthier (not so much candy and sugar!) and to finish the photos of 2009 and 2010 before the end of 2011! This has been my goal for about 2 years now, to only be a year behind, I haven't come too close yet but I hope to this year! Either way it gets me scrapping and that is always a good thing!

Here is the Layout I THOUGHT was the last of 2008!