Shadows of Life

SCHOOL OF SCRAP

2009-09-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

guess what's coming up????

Scrap-a-Latte's 1st crop of the season!

The School of Scrap will be next Saturday,

September 26th. There will be challenges,

techniques, games, prizes, and of course a

TON OF FUN!!!

come join us for a FABULOUS time! what

better way to get your mojo flowing then

trying to win a PRIZE!! =)

bring a friend and your name gets

entered into a drawing!! it's THAT easy!!

check out the suggested supply list here:

GOTTA GET THAT

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!!

where to begin??

2009-09-02T19:54:00.004-05:00

tomorrow is my oldest daughter's 16th bday!

i'm having a hard time believing that is possible.....

i mean, seriously...where did the time go?

it's so cliche to say that time goes by so fast....but

there's no denying the truth in that statement.

so tomorrow i celebrate the birth of my oldest

with the 5 of us plus jimmy. last saturday we

threw her a HUGE bday bash for her friends-

dj, dinner, dancing, the whole nine yards. it turned

out really well, but not having AC in the place made

it really HOT! oh well, everyone had a great time.

here's some layouts i did a while back...always gotta

share some new craftiness. LOL!

peace xoxo

it's been a long time since i blogged

2009-07-11T08:30:00.005-05:00

wow. i can't believe it's been over a month since i blogged.

life has been crazy, i suppose.

angelica (my oldest) got her 1st job.

the kids are out of school for the summer.

i got glasses.

my best friend came for a visit.

jesse's been teaching at the community college- part time officer training.

carl (my bio dad) came for the wal-mart shareholder's meeting.

i'm flying to alabama to meet some customers.

we'll hopefully have our annual weekend getaway before school starts back.

we went to tulsa for memorial day weekend & daniela got sick.

jesus has been teaching himself how to play the piano & he's getting really good.

he's also been learning to speak & write japanese, since he wants to move to japan.

i'm sooooo ready for a getaway!!

and a housekeeper. LOL!! my laundry, closet, and pretty much the whole

house is out of control! any takers??? ;)

from scraproom-to dining table- to complete

2009-05-30T17:34:00.003-05:00

i've been struggling to find the will to scrap

or do anything besides work, watch tv, or sleep.

so today i forced myself to create....but i did it simply.

i grabbed 2 pieces of paper, a box of embellies, a pack

of thickers, and a pack of flowers. i took all of this

to my dining room table to get me out of my usual

scrapping place- i didn't want the pressure of being

in the "required" room....then without thinking or

fussing with it, i slapped the products & pic on the

page with some double-sided tape & even cut the

strip off the bottom edge of the paper with regular

scissors. and it was done.

from scraproom- to dining table- to completed layout

in under 5 minutes!! WOW! that's gotta be a record

for me!! =)

what a GREAT feeling!!! :)

blah, blah, blog.....

2009-05-30T10:00:00.005-05:00

what a WEEK! things have been crazy hectic
at work because i am covering 2 other CSR's
areas besides my own. things should settle back
down in 2 more weeks when i'm back to just my
area. whew!!

we took the kids on a little road trip to tulsa last
weekend for memorial day...ended up being a bust.
daniela got sick while we were there, so i stayed in
the hotel with her. she was throwing up, running a
fever, and had HUGE tonsils with sores. ended up
being strep throat, but she is on the mend with meds
now.

daniela also received her kindergarten medal this week.
she was soooo excited! they can't get the medal unless
they meet all of the academic requirements mandated
by standardized testing. can't believe they start all that
crap in kindergarten now. it's ridiculous to put so much
pressure on these kids with all these tests!

anyway, we also found out that jesus tested high enough
to put him in algebra next year during the 8th grade.
so he will be on track to take AP Calculus and AP Statistics
for college credits his senior year. i sure hope this boy gets
his head in the game & does his homework. doing excellent
on the tests isn't enough. he's got to do the required work,
whether he thinks he needs to or not.

jesus also won the "outstanding brass" award for his
school. his band director thinks he has AMAZING
musical giftedness and even though he didn't always
bring his music to class...he had memorized it and played
every note perfectly regardless. she says he's the best
french horn player she's EVER had & he just learned it
THIS year!!!! wow, that kid!!! :)

angelica is doing well, too. she's a little sad that everyone
else is getting awards & she's not. but she is my rock.
she works hard to get her grades. and that hard work
is going to pay off. if things are too easy, you don't know
how to handle it when they are difficult. so i think she'll
have a lot of experience working through issues when
she becomes an adult. that will help strengthen her.

okay, so enough rambling......i'm off to see what the day
holds for me. :)

hurry, there's still time!!!!

2009-05-16T12:38:00.002-05:00

Join me on the Scrap-a-Latte message board TODAY
for a STAMP-a-LATTE cyber crop!!! =)

I have posted BINGO here: http://www.scrap-a-latte.net/forums/showthread.php?t=13995

And challenges here: http://www.scrap-a-latte.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103

There is a FAB grand prize up for grabs and a BINGO prize....
as well as a sketch challenge here: http://www.scrap-a-latte.net/forums/showthread.php?t=13992

So what are you waiting for???? Grab your stamps and ink & let's get to croppin'!!! =)

scrap therapy

2009-04-18T15:25:00.003-05:00

featuring: bazzill,DCWV,autumn leaves,ATB,making memories,sharpie,stewart superior
featuring:ki,pink paislee,unity stamps,ATB,folk art,tsukineko

featuring: pink paislee,inkadinkado,unity,prima,making memories,tsukineko,tattered angels

featuring: WRMK,american crafts,unity stamps,stewart superior

don't you love when you can spend an evening scrapping

just for the sheer pleasure of it??? well, i got my chance

to do that last nite. jesse was working and i made a mess with

paint and ink and glue. =) soooooo much fun & sooooooo needed!!

old & new

2009-03-29T10:15:00.004-05:00

featuring: basic grey, prima, american crafts, making memories
featuring: basic grey, prima, magic mesh, american crafts

featuring: DCWV, american crafts, unity stamps, prima

so my older 2 kids haven't had spring pics taken

yet, but i wanted to make some layouts to frame

for the living room...so i used last year's for them &

this year's for daniela.

the new prima wildwood collection is breathtaking

and the butterflies??? OMG!!!! I looooove them!!!!

you can check out all the new stuff HERE at Scrap-a-Latte.

Better hurry....they're selling FASSSSST!!!!! :)

it's been a while....

2009-03-28T09:48:00.003-05:00

outside the AT&T center before the game

waiting for the streetcar

enjoying market square

didn't realize it had been so long since i blogged. :0

well, our trip to SA was FANTASTIC! :) we had

a blast AND the spurs won!! soooo all went well.

we did have a little excitement on the trip home

when daniela threw up all over herself & the yukon...

but fortunately we were near a gas station & family

dollar...so a little clean up from mommy & some

febreze that daddy bought at the family $ and we

were good to go. :)

monday musings

2009-03-02T09:06:00.006-06:00

ahhhhh....i'm enjoying the 3rd day of my
weekend today. :) and this is a short week for
me since i'm off friday. we'll be road trippin'
to san antonio to visit family & watch the spurs
play phoenix on sunday! i'm EcStATic!!!!! :)
jesse's been to SA twice in the last 2 years,
but the rest of the fam hasn't been in several
years....so we are really looking forward to
seeing everyone and indulging in our FAVE
foods and spots.

Old Danny's Cocina- a family owned mexican restaurant, not
a chain, just handmade flour tortillas as big as a
steering wheel!! i'm not kidding! they are HUGE
and oh soooooo tasty!!

Taco Cabana- all over texas, but dang they've got
the best carne guisada tacos! mmmmm!

Bill Miller's- originated in SA and has branched out
to corpus christi and austin, but that's it! soooo....
it is MUST EAT bbq every time we're in SA!
Po' Boy Plus! mmmmm!

Tia Betty- okay, not a restaurant, but jesse's aunt
always makes us a homemade mexican meal that's
uber delish!! can't wait!

and of course, we must visit MARKET SQUARE!

okay....so on to other news. although i love having
a 3 day weekend every week, i have bid on 2 other
jobs at tyson that would put me back on a 5 day work
week. hoping to at least get interviewed for those
this week. i hate losing the 4 day work week, BUT
i can't pass up the opportunity to advance either.
so we'll see what happens.

snowy sunday

2009-03-01T09:24:00.004-06:00

featuring: unity stamps and the making memories reference sheet from acrylic stamp set
featuring: unity stamps, scenic route

featuring: unity stamps, american crafts, scenic route, making memories flocked paper (love it!)

featuring: unity stamps, hambly, 2Daisies, Basic Grey

CK reject! LOL!

it started snowing sometime over night on friday....

and it kept snowing all day yesterday....it looks

like the sun is actually out today, so hopefully it

will melt away. :)

Unmounted Stamp Storage

2009-02-25T22:46:00.006-06:00

S Hook Hanging on the Cup Hook
Mounted Stamps on the wall

5x6" piece of acrylic

Unmounted Stamp Storage

Stamp Happiness

edited to add: I bought the 30x36 piece of acrylic at Lowe's for $14.37 and they cut it into 36 5x6 pieces for FREE! :)

So, if you're like me, you LOVE stamping....which

means TONS of stamps....and probably HUNDREDS

of unmounted stamps. I decided I had to throw out all

my packaging and group the stamps together by

category to ease my search for "just the right stamp".

I was SO sick of digging through bags and packages of

stamps to try to find "the" stamp for the job. A $15.00

30x36" Acrylic (cut into 5x6 inch squares) and ONE

Rubbermaid basket or maybe it's Sterlite....and I am one

ORGANIZED stamper!! :) Ahhhhhhhhhh...I'm totally

LOVING it!! It has freed my mind and saved me a TON

of space!! And storing over 400 stamps for under $20??

PRICELESS!!! :)

Also, I would like to get the Rubba Rack....but it is TOO expensive to

be an option for me.

So, I got creative and picked up cup hooks

and S hooks for $6.00. My husband closed the side of the

S hook around the metal loop on the wooden slide so that it

doesn't fall off....and I screwed the cup hooks into my wall!!

Now my stamps are hanging there right at my fingertips and

give my wall some character, too! I looooove it!! So until I can

justify blowing money ont the rubba rack (which i don't think will EVER happen),

this is my solution & i can live with that! ;)

another scrappy weekend

2009-02-15T16:46:00.003-06:00

featuring: glitz design, unity stamps, heidi swapp, 7Gypsies, Making Memories, Fancy Pants, Ki Memories, Around the Block
featuring: glitz design, heidi swap, tissue paper, glitter, mod podge

featuring: rusty pickle, ki memories, around the block, sassafrass

featuring: rusty pickle, scenic route, sassafrass, american crafts, unity stamps, princess mirah

featuring: crate paper, hambly, making memories, unity stamps, around the block

i love a scrappy weekend.

love was on my mind all weekend.

what a great valentine's weekend.

kinder*garden

2009-02-13T19:15:00.004-06:00

hambly, american crafts, unity stamps, making memories, bazill, sassafrass, kaiser

here's an 8 1/2 x 11 layout i made of my
youngest's school pic....her 1st ever school
pic! :) don't you just love hambly?? i do!!
fyi...i purposely mispelled "kindergarten"
to make it look like garden. :)

oh, and are you always running out of vowels
in your thickers' packs? i am, so i used "m"s
sideways for the "e"s. ;)

week in review

2009-02-08T15:13:00.000-06:00

rusty pickle, ki memories, sassafrass, kaiser crafts, imagination project (old school), glitz designs

close-up of v-day cards ;)

rusty pickle, unity stamps, love elsie

stampendous, glitz designs, luxe designs, heidi swapp

well, this was my first week on my
new 4 day schedule. i have mondays
off and work 10-6 tue-thurs. loooove it!!!

the kids were finally back in school this
week as well. they ended up missing 4 days
last week due to the ice storm. things are
still a mess around here with all the tree
damage, power lines down, etc....but people
are cleaning up as they can.

we had two b-day parties to go to yesterday.
one for my father in law and one for my friend,
Suzanne.

i altered a Stampendous pail for Suzanne's gift.
i love the funky look the glitz designs' papers gave it!
and the ribbon is misc. printed ribbon from Luxe.
love them!

and how about some EASY valentine's day cards??
it doesn't get much easier than this! i used ONE single
sheet of rusty pickle paper and ONE sheet of cardstock...
added some stamps from Unity and Love Elsie, some staples
for added dimension & ouila! 16 v-day cards ready to go! :)

so, i couldn't stop with just the cards. i wanted to use MORE
of this rusty pickle paper, becuz it is TOO decadent! so i
made a layout of me & my girls. ;)

looking for a place to find GREAT scrapping deals, TONS
of clearance items, and WEEKLY sales???? check out
SCRAP-A-LATTE!!!! :) that's where I shop!

my new 'do!

2009-02-01T07:54:00.003-06:00

okay, that's really not orange in it....the flash did something weird.

the main color is black cherry with red, blonde, and brown chunks through it.

so, i got my hair colored, highlighted, cut, and styled yesterday!

and i must say it is my FAVE ever!!!!! so funky and fun! :)

PICS OF THE ICE

2009-01-27T17:48:00.004-06:00

these pics were all taken this morning, and it's continued icing ever since. my poor yukon. :(
flash bud's food bowl...about 2 inches deep.

bushes in the front of our house

close up of the ice on the branches

jesse's grill

more ice on the trees

our neighbor's tree- falling on our fence from the weight of the ice

ice storm '09

2009-01-27T16:42:00.005-06:00

featuring: making memories, american crafts, heidi swapp
featuring: sassafrass lass, unity stamps

featuring: prima flowers, crate paper, unity stamps

featuring: ki memories, teresa collins

featuring: sassafrass lass, prima stamp, unity stamps

featuring: unity stamps, crate paper

well, we have been getting hammered with

ice since yesterday afternoon. today the ice

has been falling steadily all day long! i'll post

some pics of what it looks like out there in a while.

so, since i've been trapped in doors & fortunately

with power....i've been scrapping. i did 6 layouts

today, so i'm happy with that. :)

i've got to try to make it in to work tomorrow.....

becuz i really don't want to waste my vacation

days on ICE!!

what i've been creating lately....

2009-01-26T17:13:00.004-06:00

featuring: unity stamps- kit of the month, worn grid
featuring: crate paper, Heidi Swapp stamp, Autumn Leaves date stamp

featuring: unity stamps- kit of the month
featuring: unity stamps- kit of the month

featuring: Heidi Swapp stamp

featuring: green puffy paint ;)

okay, so it's been a while since i've specifically

posted about my layouts. so here are a few i've

done recently. hope you find some inspiration

or at least enjoy them. :)

jesse's new tattoo

2009-01-24T18:35:00.002-06:00

AFTER
DURING- OUTLINE ONLY

okay, so i was so excited about posting MY pics

that i forgot to post jesse's! LOL! :)

he had the kanji, but drew the banner for them to

put around it. he wanted it red for the Marine Corps

colors and he made it tattered looking like it's been

through battle. i love the way it came out!

i GOT it!!!

2009-01-24T17:12:00.005-06:00

AFTER- CLOSE UP

AFTER- SIDE VIEW

DURING

BEFORE- my Kanji tattoo

so, here it is.....my cherry blossom tattoo!! dustin did
an AMAZING job on it!! i absolutely LOVE it!!! :)

CREATIVE RESOLUTION TIME!!!!

2009-01-24T08:54:00.002-06:00

TODAY is the day of the ONLINE CROP at
SCRAP-A-LATTE!!!! YEAH!!! :) Will you
stop by and check us out??? It's gonna be
LOTS of FUN and there will be plenty of
challenges to keep you entertained and scrappy!! :)

http://www.scrap-a-latte.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=98

If you join in on the fun because of my blog post,
I'll send you a little goody in the mail!! So, what
are you waiting for???? COME ON OVER!!!

date time!

2009-01-18T09:41:00.002-06:00

jesse has been celebrating his b-day alllllll
weekend long! hehehe! today is the last of
it....we're going on a date today to see
the new clint eastwood movie, Gran Torino.
can't wait, becuz it looks REALLY good!
clint eastwood is such a bad mamma jamma! :)

so, jesse is now 35.....does this mean he's officially
"middle-aged"?? hmmm....well, i guess i will be
in october, too.

i wanna be....

2009-01-14T19:18:00.002-06:00

the Tyson Biggest Loser!! :) there are
over 80 people participating in the 2nd annual
biggest loser contest at work. we each had to
pay $20 to compete, but the winner wins 80%
of the money paid and the 2nd place wins the
other 20%. so the prize is over $1200!!! wow!
i soooooo need to win this! :)

it runs from jan. 5 (our 1st weigh-in) to may 4th.

wish me luck!! xoxo

jonesin' real baaaaad!

2009-01-12T20:39:00.003-06:00

love the realistic look of this one: love the branch going up....cuz it will go up my leg

love the color!!! these are the colors I want...with maybe a bit more low-light color as well

thought this was interesting, becuz i am putting it around kanji....but i don't like the cartoonish blossoms

love the 3D effect of this one!

okay, so here's the deal. i am wanting another

tattoo so bad i can hardly stand it!! seriously,

it's so bad i'm telling jesse he should buy me

one for HIS b-day friday! LOL!

so, here's what i'm tossin' around. i really love

cherry blossoms and i'd like to add them around

the tat i already have. but i can't find exactly

what i want....so do you have any images of

cherry blossoms i could use??? or do you have an idea how i can

incorporate the images above into one tattoo?

yawn

2009-01-11T10:41:00.002-06:00

so the weekend is quickly fading...
and i have soooo much left to do.
procrastination sucks. :)
laundry, cleaning, exercising.....
plus a b-day party to go to this afternoon.
not looking forward to eating at this thing....

hey, if you have a myspace....look me up. :)
i've had an account for years, but have
never used it. so i'm just now getting around
to that.

uh-oh.....one resolution bites the dust....

2009-01-10T10:13:00.003-06:00

okay, so i've already let one resolution bite
the dust. *gasp*

taking a pic a day was such an intriguing idea
to me! little snapshots of my life and surroundings
365 days.....BUT, i've now missed several days...
and *SHOCK* i lost interest in doing it! LOL! :)

so, adios resolution!

little things mean a lot...

2009-01-03T13:28:00.003-06:00

so, i'm making new habits. today for lunch,

i ate a sandwich on light bread, opted for mustard

instead of my fave mayo, and ate it with a side of

salad and pretzel rods. oh, and don't forget my

flavored water with 0 calories. :) i'm diggin' this

new way of eating.....so far. ;)

i am hosting a crop at scrap-a-latte on jan. 24th

and i have been working on some challenges.

the crop is called "CREATIVE RESOLUTIONS".

so each challenge will be called a "resolution". it's

gonna be LOTS of FUN!!! hope you can join me!!!

i've included a couple of sneak peaks of resolutions

we'll be doing that weekend. :)

2nd day of january

2009-01-02T22:40:00.004-06:00

DAY 2- MY TENNIS SHOES DAY 1- HAILEY SLEEPS IN THE NEW YEAR

well, today was nice and sunny outside.

not a typical december day for us....but

that can always change quickly around here!

i started weight watchers yesterday...part

of my plan to lose 100 pounds this year. i'm

breaking up the goal in to smaller sections...

hoping to stay focused and motivated.

i woke up early today to do a 30 minute

exercise dvd. i didn't want to get up & had

to FORCE myself out of bed. then 1/2 way

through the DVD, i wanted to quit soooo bad.

but, i made myself finish, and i'm glad i did.

one of my other resolutions is to take 1 pic each

day....just to sort of give snapshots of my life.

so today's pic was my tennis shoes on my feet....

a sign of a new journey into exercising. :)

i didn't post a pic yesterday...so the pic of Hailey is the one

i took right after midnite on 01/01/09.

HELLO 2009!!!

2009-01-01T22:04:00.005-06:00

Can you believe another year is over??

This year seems to have flown by for me....

well, now that i'm here anyway. during the year,

it seemed it would not go by fast enough.

personally, i have felt pretty darn miserable

this year. but my migraine disorder seems

to be manageable now, and i am deeply grateful

for that!!

In comparison to what my friend Carla went through

in 08, i can NOT complain!! I am praying that

she will only experience POSITIVE things in 09!!

So, what do i want to accomplish this year? I've compiled

a list. My philosophy is to set MORE goals than you

think you can accomplish...that way you'll at least

accomplish some of them! LOL! =)

So, here goes.....my LENGTHY list of goals for 2009:

1. Lose 100 pounds.
2. Exercise daily.
3. Eat more fresh foods/ less processed foods.
4. Go to church more often.
5. Read at least 1 book a month.
6. Stick to our weekly budget.
7. Spend less money eating out....by eating out less!
8. Send birthday cards.
9. Get family pictures taken.
ADIOS #10. Take a picture every day to document life. xxxxxxxxx not doing this one anymore.
11. Clean and declutter EVERY room of the house...get rid of any broken or unused items.
12. Organize my office and keep it that way.
13. Maintain a schedule both at home and work.
14. Wake up earlier.
15. Go to bed earlier.
16. Find non-food ways to celebrate success.
17. Set small goals and reward myself for reaching them.
18. Be more active/ less lazy.
19. Help with the laundry more often.
20. Assign weekly chores for the kids to do....and make them do the chores.

21. Spend more time listening to my friends' problems than talking about my own.

22. Make time to scrap more....possibly when I'm feeling hungry or wanting to snack.

23. Go on a vacation with my family.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2008-12-25T16:07:00.003-06:00

baby Jesus, manger, star, angel, mary, wisemen, stable, silent night, christmas music, laughter, joy, peace, family, food, movie, breakfast, presents, love, heart, thankful, happy, reminiscing, silver bells, empty streets, closed stores, wreaths, garland, lights, snowmen, fireplace, cozy, full houses, games, and warm fuzzies.

sad day for my friend :(

2008-12-04T23:06:00.002-06:00

my best friend lost one of her closest friends yesterday

after a long battle with cancer. it makes my heart hurt

to think of the pain she must be feeling right now.

i wish i lived closer to help out with whatever she needs.

it's scary losing someone so young. she was around

my age- early 30's. please pray for comfort and healing

and peace for the family and friends. may she rest in peace.

blah, blah, blah...

2008-11-26T17:39:00.003-06:00

so today is just another day that i've been

feeling blah. i have friends who are hurting

something terrible right now...and yet i worry

over the stupidest crap!

do you ever let

things bother you WAY more than they should?

do you ever feel like being completely childish

and lashing out against people that have hurt you?

i know it's so petty in the grand scheme of life....

i'm just not ready to let it go apparently....

at least not yet.

hopefully soon.

16th Wedding Anniversary!

2008-11-23T07:44:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that 16 years ago

we were just beginning our journey as husband and wife.....

now, 3 kids later, lots of good times, bad times,

hard times, easy times, laughter, tears, happiness, anger,

we're still together!

i love you, babe!!! forever!

feeling better today....

2008-11-20T22:59:00.002-06:00

but then again, how could i not feel better
when i get to see EDWARD tomorrow nite!! =)

lica and i are going together...a girl's nite out....
mother/daughter....enjoying a GREAT movie together...
and sharing a CRUSH! :)

we made t-shirts tonite so we can wear them
to the theater tomorrow. i'll upload pics later
so you can enjoy our craziness! ;)

wow! life throws a curve ball....

2008-11-17T19:40:00.002-06:00

doesn't it?

i feel like someone just walked up to me and punched

me in the gut when i wasn't looking. wow.

i guess there's no way of forseeing all the blows you receive, huh?

so, i'm just going to try to concentrate on everything left that is

good in my life. that's all that should matter anyway, right?

dang. i wish i didn't invest my emotions completely in things....

it would make it easier to handle when it all falls apart.

of course, without risk there's no true pleasure found either, right?

i guess i just need a moment to catch my breath.

hippity hoppity....

2008-11-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

unity stamps: 4 stamps from the sept. kit of the month
unity stamps: worn music; wee forest chanty

unity stamp: dotted ribbon that i stamped over & over again! :)

from the october kit of the month

can i tell you AGAIN how much i LOVE unity stamps??!!

okay, well i'm going to SHOUT it OUT again!!!!

I LOVE UNITY!!!

they truly have something for every crafter and scrapper and cardmaker!

sooooo many fabulous stamps to choose from, you are SURE to find something

that tickles your fancy!!

soooooo.....are you ready for some hip hop???!!!! :)

start at ANGELA's BLOG for all the specials!!

then hop from blog to blog following the hip hop trail.

once the trail brings you to my blog......give a big SHOUT OUT to HEATHER!!!

she has AMAZING talent!!!!! :)

on the TWILIGHT wagon!!!

2008-11-11T18:59:00.004-06:00

okay, so i've heard angela and so many others rave about

the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer....so i became intrigued.

then i saw that the movie Twilight was coming to theaters

soon, so i bought the 1st book Sunday night.

yesterday i had the worst migraine i've had in a couple of months...

if not for that, i would already be finished with it. so i'm going to finish

it tonight. i'm already dreaming about the book and

i am totally loving edward!! LOL!! isn't that crazy???!!! :)

Lica read the 1st one on Sunday, finished it on Monday, and then read the 2nd

one yesterday, too!! she's crazy fast at reading!! so she's going to start the 3rd

book now.

i can't wait for the movie to come out, so i can take her to see it! that will be a

fun mother/daughter date nite! :)

so if you are a twilight fan, don't spoil the rest of the series for me.....but let me

know if you are as addicted as i am. i almost want to pace myself to prolong

the series since there are only 4! :)

time to hip hop again!

2008-11-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

unity stamps: distressed dots, worn grid
unity stamp: distressed dots

unity stamp: from AMAZING ME

Stamps don't have to overpower your layouts in order to use them. You can always find a way to incorporate stamps. Use them to distress your paper, add a background, or create a journaling block. No matter how big a part you want stamps to play in your scrapbooking, Unity has a stamp for EVERY layout!! :)

Feeling lucky?? Maybe YOU'LL be the blog candy winner today!

Check out the specials on ANGELA'S BLOG and then hip hop your way to the blog candy.

Next stop: JIMMI MAYO!!! :) Check her out!

what a great KIT!!!

2008-11-01T10:18:00.003-05:00

Unity Stamp Co's kit of the month is SPECTACULAR!!!

These stamps are BIGGER than the past few months & I LOVE that!!!!

I can't WAIT to get it in the mail!!! :)

You better hurry & order yours TODAY!!!!!

dorothy for the 21st century!

2008-10-30T18:51:00.002-05:00

okay, so daniela wasn't going to trick or treat this year

because she has strep throat....the weather was supposed

to be cold and rainy, etc. etc....

well, i just couldn't do that to her. so today, i surprised

her with a costume. she is the NEW dorothy!!! instead of
Toto she has Daniel- a pug webkinz that Carla gave her. :)

isn't she the cutest Dorothy you've EVER seen????

i sure think so!!!! :)

hip hop is here again!!!

2008-10-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

unity stamp- CHRISTMAS LIST

unity stamps- WORN GRID, DISTRESSED DOTS, misc. from September and October KOMs

it's hop hop time!!! are you ready???? :)

every week, angela offers some SUPER deals...check them out HERE!!!!!

if you haven't signed up for the Kit of the Month yet, you TOTALLY need to!! i have found TONS of stamps in EACH month's kit that i just ADORE!!! i'm sure you will, too....so check out the details HERE!

now, you ready to continue your hip hop journey??? then bounce on over to

HEATHER'S blog!!

inspired blueprints bonus sketch

2008-10-25T13:05:00.002-05:00

here's my take on this sketch. I loved this sketch the moment i saw it, because you can never have too many ideas for multi-pic layouts. :) tfl!

hip hop to the 10th degree!!!

2008-10-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

Unity is celebrating it's TENTH hip hop Thursday!!

Won't you join in on the fun??!!! :)
CHECK THIS OUT for all the SPECIAL deals going on today!!!
AND
Don't forget to keep on blog hopping until you find the blog candy!
Next stop>>>>>>>>PATTER CROSS!!!!

Happy Hip Hoppin'!!

Unity Stamps used-
OCTOBER KOM (dotted ribbon, good times)
CIRCLE FRENZY

oh yeah....it's HIP HOP THURSDAY!

2008-10-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

unity stamp co: worn music, worn grid
unity stamp co: distressed dots, worn grid, amazing me
unity stamp co: distressed dots, september kom

Can you tell which stamps I am TOTALLY crushing on right now???

These background stamps are the BEST!! I absolutely could not stop

using them!! :)

Ready for some giveaways and SPECTACULAR savings???

Look HERE for this week's specials and hop on over to LAURA'S fabulous blog!!!!

thursday....time to hip hop!!

2008-10-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

time to hip hop & i've got school and christmas on my mind!! i made this little notebook for my daughter's teacher. she can give it to her for Christmas. the SCHOOL ROCK STAR stamp set is PERFECT for teacher's gifts!! the possibilities are endless and i'm excited to make some more gifts!! :) stamps used: SCHOOL ROCK STAR, SEPTEMBER KOM
stamps used: SCHOOL ROCK STAR, AMAZING ME
stamps used: SCHOOL ROCK STAR

Would you like to WIN free stamps?????!!!!!!

then be sure to HOP onto splitcoast stampers

today for your chance to win!! PLUS when you end the

blog hop, there is a STAMP set waiting to be won as well!!

Unity gives away $300 worth of stamps every THURSDAY,

so don't miss YOUR chance to WIN!!! :)

HINT::::::::::>>>>>>>>(I'll be giving a FREE stamp away that hasn't even been released yet!!!!

Leave me a comment here and then GO TO THIS LINK tonite between 7:00-8:00 to find out who the winner is!!!!!!!!)

Don't forget to check out ALL THE SPECIALS for today!!!!

And keep on blog hoppin' until you find the blogger who has got the giveaway!!! :)

NEXT STOP: the fabulous HEIDI SONBOUL!!!!!!

WELCOME, ANNE MARIE and a NEW KOM!!!!

2008-10-01T21:35:00.003-05:00

You have GOT to check out this girls' MAD SCRAPPIN' SKILLS!!!!

I am in AWE of her amazing talent!!! ANNE MARIE is Unity's Guest Designer

for the month of October and I, for one, am ECSTATIC to see what she creates

this month!! I'm sure it will blow me away!!!

Check her out and leave her some love!!

AND, today the NEW kit of the month premiered at UNITY!!! SIGN up today to

GET YOURS!!! :)

scrap, stamp, crop!

2008-09-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

i sooooo love scrappy days!! don't you??

today michele hosted an online crop at

scrap-a-latte and i was able to get my scrap

on! :) and what scrappy day would be complete

without a little unity?? :)

last nite was lica's homecoming game. unfortunately,
they lost, but she was GREAT in the marching band!! :)
then today the two rival high schools in our town
had a battle of the bands where both
bands marched downtown and faced off. i missed it
becuz daniela was acting up, but lica said it was way
cool! and of course, she said heritage won. ;)

i'm hip hoppin' all over the place!!!

2008-09-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

oh, i'm sooooo doing the HAPPY dance today!!!

i have fallen head over heels in love with unity's september kit of the month!!!!

i think i might have DROOLED a little when i saw it!! =)

so, if you haven't signed up for the KOM, go HERE and do that NOW!!! you DON'T wanna miss out on these limited edition of stamps each month!!

if you are here from MAREN's blog, then WELCOME!!! i'm glad you hip hopped your way to me! ;) need to start the hip hoppin'??? then go back to ANGELA's BLOG and be sure to leave comments for all the unity gals!! they do AMAZING work!!!

don't forget to check out all of TODAY's SPECIALS and the VERY funky fresh NEW KIT by unity's own JEN ERICSON!!! it's called MIDDLE SCHOOL MADNESS and it is SURE to make you giggle with glee!! ;) speaking of jen, why don't you just HOP your way over to her blog now!!

next stop.....JEN ERICSON'S BLOG

one of my fave stamps

2008-09-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

so, i LOVE journaling lines!! i just can't get enough of them & i used to always draw them myself.

but lately i have been using a stamp from UNITY that is dotted lines!!

i love this little dandy from the "AMAZING ME" kit!! =)

HIP HOP....it's UNITY TIME!!!

2008-09-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

stamp sets used: AMAZING ME, SCHOOL ROCK STAR
stamp sets used: BE MY VALENTINE, AMAZING ME

It's THURSDAY....and that means it's time to HIP HOP

your way around the UNITY blogs until you find the

BLOG CANDY-a sweet UNITY STAMP SET, of course!!! :)

If you didn't come here from Heather's blog, then START HERE
for the HIP HOP ride of your life!! :)

Ready for some SPECTACULAR DEALS???!!! Then, check ANGELA's BLOG
for the deets!! She always has some FABULOUS things up her sleeve---and one of them just might be a NEW RELEASE!!! ;)

Now it's time to HIP HOP over to Unity's NEWEST DT member's blog.......miss JEANNE!!!!

wednesday nite...

2008-09-17T22:40:00.003-05:00

and i'm about to go to bed...but i wanted to share a layout of my

baby girl. i made it this past weekend, but forgot to upload it here.

these pics aren't perfect, but they capture her personality...she is such a sassy little thing, but has such a sweet side too. :)

the butterflies were created with a retired stamp from unity. i stamped it on patterned paper and then added bling to the middle to mimic the bling on the letters. it also adds interest and bulk to the butterflies. to buy the Kaiser Crafts paper, go HERE.

hope you have a FABULOUS day tomorrow...and don't forget to come back for HIP HOP THURSDAY! :)

GO HERITAGE!!! :)

2008-09-14T11:43:00.005-05:00

Heritage High is a BRAND new High School
in our hometown. We now have two high schools
that will rival each other. :) Their 1st home game
was Friday nite and Angelica is in the marching band.
She plays barritone! Yep!! She is the only girl that
plays barritone at Heritage! And she is GOOOOOOD!!! :)
She beat out the boys last year to make 1st chair, and
they told her it would never happen!! Oh yeah, you
go girl!! :)

Here is their 1st performance...the video is pretty
raw and rocky, but the sound is fairly good. And if
you look closely when jesse zooms in, you can see
Lica!! :) You can also hear Daniela yelling "Lica!" and
"Where is she? Where is she? Where? I can't see!" ;)

ANGELICA BAND

The 1st song is Heritage High's fight song.
The 2nd is Rebel Yell by Billy Idol.

Because they got rained on during the 1st quarter,
they had to take their plumes off the hats. So normally
they don't look like that. Hopefully it won't rain again!! :)

let's HIP HOP!!

2008-09-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

supplies: stamps- Unity; papers- Basic Grey, Kaiser Crafts; alphas- American Crafts; button brads- Karen Foster; punch- Stampin' Up; ric rac- Creative Impressions; inks- superior, tsukineko; pen-sharpie; pocket- old navy ;)

if you are visiting my blog today without knowing what "Hip Hop Thursday" is then go HERE to begin the journey to find BLOG CANDY!! :) you just follow the links from blog to blog until you find the one who is giving away the stampalicious blog candy today!! :)

oh, and while you're at it....don't forget to check out the NEW RELEASES and the SPECIAL DEALS on angela's blog at UNITY!!!! you won't be disappointed!!! :)

now, if you are landing here from NATALIE'S blog then go to WENDY'S blog when you finish reading here!!

please remember all those who lost someone on 9/11

and pray for them today.

they will never be forgotten!!

info on the freestyle layout i did: who says you can't do freestyle with stamps?? i mixed and matched from THREE different kits and ONE single to create the layout above.

***

i didn't pay attention to stamping evenly for my border. i just wanted it to add a funky frame around the paper. it came from the LITTLE PRINCESS kit.

***

i stamped the tree from a retired kit (July KOM) three times to create the affect shown- once on some scrap paper, once on the brown paper, and once on green paper. i cut and pasted the tree and the leaves to the stamped image on the scrap paper before cutting the entire thing out again.

***

for a little touch of light on the tree, i added the little blue birdie from the SO AND SO LOVES single.

***

the journaling lines are from AMAZING ME.

it's hip hop time again!

2008-09-04T10:00:00.004-05:00

supplies: unity stamp co- WISH STAMP SET; basic grey-papers; sharpie-pen; american crafts-alphas; tsukineko and superior-inks; ranger and creative imaginations-glitter glue

it's that time again....time to hip hop all over

cyberspace to find some blog candy!!! =) and

there are AMAZING deals that you EVERY

person can take advantage of!!! check this out:

SINGLES for ONE DAY ONLY:
OH! What a Beautiful Morning- $2.50
Queen for a Day- $3.00
Chancy Flower Post from Whimsy Flowers- $5.00
Polka Dot Posy- $3.00

If you've never ordered from Unity before, here's
a SPECIAL deal JUST FOR YOU~~~~order at least
$10.00 worth of stamp goodness and enter
FIRST ORDER in the discount code field and you will
get MOVE MOUNTAINS for FREE!! :)

EVERY order also receives a RANDOM STAMP FOR FREE!!!!!!

but that's not all.....keep reading for these GREAT deals!!

there is a NEWLY released SINGLE available---
buy HULLABALOO for $5.00!! it ROCKS!!!

while you're ordering, check out THESE background stamps
at 1/2 price>>>>only $4.00 EACH!
Royal Day
Distressed Dots
Paisley Deco
Baby Boy Plaid
Polka Dot Jam
Deco Hound
Harlequin
Wavy Solid Mocha

if your total purchase is over $50.00, you can also buy
FANCIFUL DOTS for only ONE PENNY!!!!

and if this isn't enough to make you stop what you're doing
and SHOP, then listen to this....Unity is focused on
giving back and this week 10% of ALL HIP HOP SALES
will be donated to OPERATION JONATHAN! to read
about jonathan's story, read HERE.

what an AWESOME opportunity to GIVE!!

so what are you waiting for??? hop on over to NIKI's BLOG
to find out where this journey will take you next!!! =)

....gotcha!

2008-09-01T13:18:00.004-05:00

i can't believe this is my THIRD post today!!

it feels so good to have a SCRAPPY

weekend!! :) this is layout #5.... about my son & me.

i don't have many pics....if any....of jesus and me...so

i love this one! even if he was trying to get away! ;)

supplies: basic grey-papers; unity-stamp; dymo-tape; american crafts-thickers; sharpie-pen; superior-ink; hambly-transparency; heidi swapp-photo corners; becky fleck-sketch

color me happy!

2008-09-01T10:53:00.006-05:00

i stumbled across a fun blog today that inspires

layouts based on COLOR combinations!! WOW!

for someone like me who is ADDICTED to COLOR,

this is THE best challenge site for me!! so i had

to give it a try with last week's challenge....#86.

supplies: papers-Love Elsie, Making Memories; stamps- Unity Stamp Co.; transparency-Hambly; rubons-Fancy Pants; ink-Superior; letters-American Crafts; pen- Sharpie; staples, kraft paper-misc.

september 1st....is here...already

2008-09-01T08:38:00.005-05:00

wow! where has this year gone?? sept. 1st ALREADY!!

and with the first of the month brings a new GUEST DESIGNER
@ Unity!! Unity welcomes CYNDI BUNDY!!!!!! not familiar
with Cyndi's work??? Check her out HERE!!! :)

here's a couple of layouts i did this weekend....although not
perfect....sometimes you just have to walk away. LOL!! ;)
so that's what i did....walked away.

hope you have a FABULOUS labor day!

lazy day

2008-08-30T15:45:00.002-05:00

i had planned on cleaning, doing laundry, and buying groceries

today....but so far i've only managed to play online and

scrap one layout. ;) guess it's time to get busy

now! but i wanted to share this layout of my 2 girls.

aren't they adorable?! =)

supplies: Glitz Design- papers; Unity Stamp Co- stamp; American Crafts- thickers, foam; EK- stickers; Sharpie- pen; Tsukineko- ink

real life lesson

2008-08-23T23:24:00.006-05:00

8:05 p.m.

I dropped Lica off at the

downtown festival earlier this evening &

her bff's mom was going to pick them up at 10.

I didn't want her out past then, becuz people

would be getting drunk and acting stupid &

she didn't need to be around all that.

***

9:53 p.m.

She calls me to tell me that her bff's

mom isn't going to make it there by 10, but that

they're still hangin' with their large group of

friends, so everythings okay. I tell her to give

me a few minutes and then i'll come to get them.

***

10:02 p.m.

She calls back and says some guy is down and

they think he's dead. I'm like what? The paramedics

just pushed their way through the crowd &

they're checking for a pulse, but he doesn't

look like he's breathing. I think he's dead.

I asked if he fell from a ride. She says no. He's

just laying on the ground.

***

Then she starts giving me a play by play

of what the paramedics are

doing to try to revive this guy- oxygen bag,

cpr, iv, then they got out the paddles. I don't even

know why she kept standing there watching or

why i kept listening to what she was telling

me. This was real and she was watching this.

***

I asked if they were letting people leave the area

and she said yes. I said then you need to get

away from there. I don't want you watching this.

He could die and you don't need to see that. She said

I think he's already dead momma.

***

So I told her where to meet me and kept her on the

phone with me until I got there to pick her up.

Just at that time, the paramedics were finally leaving

the scene to take this guy to the hospital. Lica

called Jesse to see if he had heard about it.

He said he would check into it for her.

***

Turns out, this guy was actually a 17 year old kid.

He was dead. Not sure if they ever revived him or not.

Probable cause of death? Overdose.

***

Wow. Sobering thought. These kids hear all the

time that drugs kill. Now they've seen it happen.

Real life. Real death. Right before their eyes.

right on schedule....

2008-08-23T10:44:00.004-05:00

so i'm trying to stay on schedule...even

on the weekends! *gasp* i know!!

it's SOOOO hard for me to go to bed & get up

at a decent time when i don't have work,

but i MUST do it to avoid an attack.

so although i did go to bed later than usual,

i only slept for 8 hours so that my body

got the same amount of sleep it is used to. ;)

then, before doing ANYTHING else today,
i SCRAPPED!!! woohoo!! that felt good!!! :)
i got off to a slow start, but finally caught a
groove towards the end of the layout.

and of course, my layouts aren't complete
without a little UNITY!! so i stamped the circles
you see on the dotted background paper, the numbers
on the side, and that fabulous polka-dot bracket!
you can buy all of these stamps as part of a BIGGER
set called AMAZING ME. they are AWESOME!
and they are really great for scrapping becuz they
are a GENEROUS size...not for the wimpy at heart! ;)

so, i hope you have a bold and fabulous day wherever
you are in the world. i have lots of scrappy projects
to get done today, but they'll have to wait until
tonite. and you'll have to wait to see them until
the next issue of SCRAPBOOK NEWS AND REVIEW!!
oh, the suspense.....i know......:)

Like HIP HOP????

2008-08-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

Whether you like traditional HIP HOP or not,

this is one type of HIP HOP action you DON'T

wanna miss out on!! Unity Stamp Company is

celebrating it's SECOND week of HIP HOP THURSDAY

and that means YOU can HIP HOP your way

from blog to blog to WIN stamps!!

That's right...there will be RANDOM giveaways for

blog posts plus as you follow the trail from blog

to blog, you will eventually find the blog candy at

the last stop!!! =)

And as if THAT weren't enough to get you dancin',

Angela has ALSO decided to add some SWEET

deals today!! Check these out:

*Single O' the Week- DREAM TREE

*SPECIAL ONE PENNY DEAL- With any purchase today, you can buy this single "WORN VINTAGE CLOCK" for ONE PENNY!!! (Limit one stamp per order)

*10% OFF all orders purchased today!!- use code HIPHOP in all caps

This is SOOOOOOO exciting I can hardly stand it!!

Are you ready to HIP HOP over to the next blog???

Oh, before you go.....take a peak at the butterflies on the

layout above. I stamped those with the BUTTERFLY BEAUTIES

set. I love how the bold and beautiful stamp design holds it own

in the midst of the patterned paper and colors of

my layout.

I enjoy adding dimension to my stamp designs,

but don't always want to

add the extra bulk to my layouts.

For the top butterfly in this layout,

I added dimension by cutting part of the wings out

with a fiskars fingertip knife.

I then secured my gaffer tape and cardstock

underneath the cut portions of the wings

for a 3D look without foam adhesive. Hope you enjoy! :)

Okay.....now you're

ready to hop over and check out HEIDI SONBOUL's

blog to see what FABULOUS creations she has for you!!!!!

oh, scrappy day!

2008-08-03T10:47:00.007-05:00

so yesterday i was able to use some of the

NEW BASIC GREY that i was drooling via

web that debuted at CHA. this is all thanx

to my BFF carla at SCRAP-A-LATTE!!! =0)

i told her i felt like wallpapering my scraproom

walls in the papers and closing the door and

never leaving---THAT's how absolutely

happy they make me...JUST by LOOKING

at them!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh.....gorgeous!!!!!

but i thought my family would probably figure

out a way to break me out of my eutopia sooner

or later, so i decided to start scrapping with them

instead. ;) i also had THE perfect stamp set to use

on this LO about my son from THE best stamp

company ever...i know you've heard of them by now....

they are world famous...the one, the only....

UNITY STAMP COMPANY!!!!! =)

this layout has some heartfelt

journaling to my son who is 11 years old now...12 in

november...and i want him to know that it doesn't

matter to me that he's not into sports. he is a gifted

guy in many other areas and i see him doing

many other things in his life that will leave a lasting

impression on this world if he taps into his potential.

and a far greater impact than any sports hero ever

could. what sports hero has ever cured cancer??

so although i love my dallas cowboys and i always

dreamed of seeing him on the field playing in their

jersey....that was a silly dream.....that's not what's

important to me. i want him to always understand

that he is always my star!!!

then, for the next LO, i used some papers from my DT

kit carla sent me and oh i how i love my american crafts

thickers....mmmmmm....i almost use them on every

single layout. in fact, i have to FORCE myself NOT

to use them sometimes...that's how bad my obsession is!!

it's true! but fortunately, carla sent me MORE thickers

in my DT kit so i was MORE than happy to oblige. ;)

so the papers she sent from we are memory keepers

went perfect with my new (to me- it's actually an '04) Yukon pics. hope you

enjoy this crazy little layout. :)

if you've got it.....FLAUNT IT

2008-07-30T18:58:00.004-05:00

and UNITY's definitely GOT it, BABY!!!!

you've GOTTA check out the
FIVE new releases from UNITY STAMP CO.!!
if you scope out the DT blogs, you can find
samples they made using all the new stamp
sets....so check them out.

then for your chance to WIN, come join the
RELEASE PARTY tonight at splitcoast stampers.

the party starts HERE!!!!! =) =) =)
8-10 p.m. CST

fan-CHA-stic

2008-07-19T12:53:00.004-05:00

so several of my friends are at

the summer CHA (craft & hobby

association) show in chicago, illinois

while i'm at home wishing i were

with them!! *pout* :( :( :(

so, i've been surfing the web spying
out scrappy products from the show
& i've found some GREAT stuff that
i can't WAIT to get my hands on!!! :)

if i see red....i love it!!!

MAKING MEMORIES ROUGE

and 7 gypsies has an AWESOME new RED collection, too!!

and these are my new FAVE releases from
basic grey:

OFFBEAT , AMBROSIA, and GRANOLA

so......off to find more goodies to drool over....
and i did have some fun of my own creating
a layout with my new unity stamps from
the july kit of the month!! :)

pretty butterfly stamp

2008-07-05T20:48:00.004-05:00

i am such a sucker for butterflies.

i love them.

especially pretty ones, funky ones.

ones that aren't exactly what you

would expect a butterfly to be.

check out this stamp set from

unity stamp company and see if

you fall in love with it as much as

i did!! :)

**layout based on a becky fleck pagemap**

a couple of things...

2008-07-04T23:36:00.004-05:00

i found time to create a few layouts today.

3 to be exact, but i'm holding off on showing

the 3rd one becuz i really want to submit it. :)

i just haven't found a call that it fits yet. so we'll

see. i usually just give up and post. :) i wish

submission calls weren't specific all the time!

anyway, on the 1st layout, i used some of my unity

stamps! i am in LOVE with the corner stamp!!

i totally hope that angela has some more of

those up her sleeve!! the 2nd is an old school

pic of jesse & i back in '92 less than a month

after we got married!! hard to believe we were

both so skinny!! ha!!! well, i'm off to bed now.

it's been a loooooong, but fun day. peace. xoxo

happy birthday, america!!

2008-07-04T15:51:00.005-05:00

i *heart*the smell of

fireworks burning

and barbecues smoking,

the thought of all the freedoms

we have....

it all makes me very happy.

so celebrate with someone you love

today

and

remember the price that

continues to be paid for our freedom.

God bless america!!

happy 4th!!

oh, look at this!!!

2008-06-28T12:10:00.002-05:00

i'm soooo excited and honored that carla

picked ME to feature on her blog this week!!!

check it out HERE!!!!

check out my new blog

2008-06-26T18:05:00.003-05:00

i've started a new blog to document
the ins and outs, ups and downs of
my new lifestyle. and hey, if you have
anything you would like to chat about
that you're struggling with or working
on, please feel free to share it with me there.

consider it a place to vent. :)

TODAY'S POST

another newbie

2008-06-25T21:35:00.003-05:00

here's another layout with one of the

new stamps from the "ECO CHIC" .
this little sunflower is just tooooooo
fun!!! i am in love with it!! :)

i also used the little birdie from the
"BLISS AND A BIRDIE" kit simply
becuz i was dying to use it! isn't it
cute????

AND i used one of the new single stamps
"EVERLASTING ROMANCE"- which
has become an instant favorite
of mine!! oh yes, it's true love forever!! ;)

for all your other scrapping needs (including
unity stamps) check out THIS SITE!! their
shipping is lightning fast and the service
is UNBEATABLE!!! don't take my word for
it, try it for yourself!! :)

the full monty

2008-06-25T19:18:00.004-05:00

here are the projects....complete.....
i used "DAD OF ALL KINDS" on this first layout.
it was so much fun using some puffy paint and glitter glue to add
some FUN factor! these stamps are PERFECT for ANY dad!! for this layout i used "ECO CHIC". this set is ADORABLE and
so versatile! i can't wait to play some more with it!!

don't forget the release party starts at 8:00 p.m. CST and the FIRST 25

orders receive 25% off their ENTIRE order!!! so YOU could receive

these stamps for 25% off!!! HURRY!!!! =)

just a little tease....

2008-06-23T19:46:00.007-05:00

oh, i think this little sneak peak is more of a tease.
it's probably going to drive you NUTS!! ;)
but these new sets are ADORABLE!! some are
sasssy, some are cute, some are sophisticated,
there is something for everyone.
and, as with all the unity stamps, you can use
them on cards, scrapbook layouts, altered projects,
and wherever else your creative hands take you!!

so, enjoy these little peaks and read below for an
exciting preview of what's to come tomorrow night
at the RELEASE PARTY!!!! =)

STUFF TO KNOW:
**first 25 orders will receive 25% discount!
**flat rate $5.00 shipping on ALL orders
**PRIZES!!!!!!
**blog candy on some of the DT blogs!! oh yeah!!
**sketch challenge HERE to win one of the NEW releases!!!
**and much more FUN than should be legal!!!!

i hope you can join us!!! here's where the party will start
tomorrow night from 8-10 p.m. CST>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RELEASE PARTY STARTS HERE!!!!!!

Did someone say PART-AY???!!!!

2008-06-23T19:15:00.004-05:00

Oh yeah!! Unity Stamp Co. is having a
HUGE release party THIS Wednesday,
June 25th!! =) There will be not 4, not 7,
but ELEVEN new stamp sets released!!!!
WOW!!! Talk about EXCITING!!!!

So what's a party without FREE stuff, you
say??? I totally agree...so here's the FIRST
way for you to WIN~~~~~~~~~~

There are THREE DT members who
have created samples with a NEW set
that will be GIVEN AWAY!!! How do you
win??? SIMPLE! Find their blogs, post a
comment, and a winner will be drawn
at random!!!! =)

Come back to my blog tomorrow for MORE
info on the release party AND for a SNEAK
PEAK of TWO other SETS being released
on WEDNESDAY!!! =)

are you smarter than a 5 year old??

2008-06-22T11:36:00.005-05:00

here's a little background to lead up
to this story:
our 5 year old thinks that anytime
jesse has his shirt off, he's "naked".
we've tried & tried to convince her
otherwise, but she refuses to believe it.

so today, jesse was in bed without his
shirt on and i was in the bathroom.
daniela walks in and this is the conversation
that follows:

Daniela: "Why are you naked, Daddy?"

Daddy: "I'm not naked, squirrel. I've just
got my shirt off."

Daniela: "You are naked, I see you." pause.
"OHHHHH! I know why you're naked! You
were making out with mommy!!!" giggle-giggle

Daddy: (laughing) "Mommy wasn't even in here."

Daniela: "You were making out with her and that's
why you are naked." (still giggling)

Daddy: "What do you think making out is?"

Daniela: "It's when you kiss each other."

Daddy: "Oh. I see."

Daniela: "And you're naked. And mommy has to be
naked too." (giggle-giggle)

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously!!! How can
this be in the mind of a 5 year old????!!! Of course we
denied & the worse part of all is that we REALLY
weren't doing ANYTHING............... this time. ;)

good enough to scrap

2008-06-20T22:30:00.004-05:00

i am so happy that i feel good

enough to scrap tonite!! =)

i used 3 stamps from the "bliss

and a birdie" set for the june kit

club at unity stamp co.

i always find so many ways to

use their stamps on my pages!!

if you're looking for a GREAT place
to shop for unity stamps AND
all your other scrapping needs
check out scrap-a-latte!!

happy stamping/scrapping/shopping!! ;)

unity stamp kit!!

2008-06-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

have you signed up for the unity stamp

kit club yet?? oh my gosh!

this first kit is FABULOUS!! so many

designs!

here's just ONE of the stamps

that comes in the kit. i love the variety!!

check out the details HERE!!

call me crazy.....

2008-06-12T20:39:00.003-05:00

after more than TWO weeks of
harrassing the insurance company
to approve the MRI the neurologist
ordered for me, they FINALLY
approved today!!! so when i found
out, i was immediately relieved &
jotted down the info on the time &
date of the MRI. (it's on monday)

as soon as i hung up the phone, i
called my husband to tell him that
it had finally been approved & when
it would be. he was notably excited
that it was finally going to get done.

so then it struck me. this wave of
strange emotion that i hadn't really
felt up until that moment. i had been
so concerned with fighting over
whether or not i could get this dang
thing done, that i never stopped
to think about the actual procedure.
i never really took the time to think
about why i was fighting so hard
to get this test done to begin with.
oh sure, in my normal fashion, i would
crack jokes about it, but it never
really hit me that there is a possibility
i could find out something i'm not prepared
to know.

at that instant my stomach knotted
up and the tears started flowing down
my cheeks uncontrollably. (thank goodness
i work in my own cubicle with my back
to the rest of the "world" so nobody saw
the mini meltdown that was occurring.)

the thought hit me like a ton of bricks-
this sinking feeling that i really don't
want the mri. i don't want to know what
it could show. i don't want to have it done.
i just don't want to know.

then sane sarah stepped back in,
and i realized, i have to get it done.
i have to know, and maybe nothing will
be wrong. but whatever the outcome,
i must know.

so i will have it done on monday, but
my follow up appointment isn't until
the following wednesday. gosh, why do
they do that?? they originally told me
the neurologist wanted to see me back
within 4 days of the mri & now it's 9
days later!! that will seem like an
eternity! and in the meantime.....the
real news is i still have no relief.

the 5 year old

2008-06-07T19:28:00.007-05:00

***photos were taken at Bedford's...irl, the quality is SUPERB, but i had to scan these in to share them.***

daniela turned 5 this week!! her birthday

was june 5th, but the party started with

chuck e cheese on wednesday, bbq on

thursday, and her annual photo shoot

today.

she eats up EVERY single minute

of attention, let me tell you. this girl LOVES

the spotlight! the photographer asked if

she wanted to be a model someday &

without hesitation she said yes. i snickered,

and daniela looked at me and said, "WHAT?!

i do!!" like it wasn't a joke so why was i laughing

about it. she cracks me up.

i did realize tonight that

she is so much bigger this year. she's tall

for her age anyway & she looks so grown up.

all week she has reminded me that she's 5 now.

everytime she does something it's

becuz she is 5.

she is out of our bed now,

becuz she is 5.

she can carry heavy grocery bags,

becuz she is 5.

she can get out of the shower by herself,

becuz she is 5.

she can blow dry her own hair,

becuz she is 5.

the list of every day things goes on & on & on.

it's so cute, but a little sad at the same time.

all of a sudden, she has this new found independence.

she no longer wants me to help her with

all the "little" girl things,

becuz she is 5.

the saga of my headaches

2008-06-02T18:28:00.003-05:00

thank you so much for all your concern.
so many people have asked me how i'm
doing & i thought it was time to just explain
it all in one place.

i started getting daily headaches in january.
six weeks later
i broke down & went to the doc. (i'm bad about
going.) he said he thought i was having cluster
migraines &
prescribed some meds to stop them when they
start and to hopefully eliminate them from
happening. well, neither of those meds worked.

time went by, and the pain would still not go
away & instead became constant. then i started
experiencing numbness in my left arm &
left side of my face. sometimes my legs & feet
would tingle too. i have almost passed out
numerous times and have experienced some
"mixed up" moments where i just can't seem
to get my words to come out right. the doc called
it "mental confusion".

i finally went back to the doc
when i couldn't take it anymore & he tried
3 more meds. again- nothing kicked the pain.
so he referred me to a neurologist.

the neurologist gave me a thorough exam.
i didn't do so well during the reflex testing and
when he was having me follow his finger
with my eyes. in fact, i almost passed out.
all of this, along with the
pattern of the pain and other symptoms concerned
him enough to order a brain scan mri.

there are a couple of things he's concerned about
and said he won't be comfortable until a brain
scan is done. it could be a vascular malformation (avm)
or a growth. however, we won't know anything until
the mri is done. therein lies the next problem.
the doctor's office & insurance company can't seem
to get on the same page about the mri approval!!
ugh!! it's frustrating. so, hopefully it will be
approved this week.

in the meantime, the neurologist has taken me
off ALL pain meds & forbidden me to take ANY
pain meds of ANY kind! he said that they
can contribute to what they call "medicine
headaches" and might allow temporary relief
only to cause more pain later.

so, there you have it. my situation in a condensed
version. i don't have any sick time at work
until december, so my days consist of trying
to be productive at work and then coming home
to try to get some relaxation.

hopefully they'll find something out soon & this
will be a thing of the past. i appreciate all your
thoughts & prayers & concern. it means more
than you know.

not a bad day

2008-05-30T22:07:00.004-05:00

today started off pretty rocky.
i've been experiencing numbness
in my left arm & left side of my face.
this morning was particulary bad. but,
by this afternoon, i actually had a pain
free period that lasted about 30 minutes!
wow! i forgot what that feels like!! i was
ecstatic! :) although it was short lived,
the numbness hasn't been as pronounced
this evening and my head hasn't been
hurting as severely. so, all in all, it hasn't
been a bad day at all. in fact, one of the
best i've had in a loooooong time.

so, i decided to take advantage of this &
i scrapped some DT projects for
Scrap-a-Latte. i was afraid i wouldn't
feel this good again for a while, so juuuust
in case....i got them finished. it was quite
nice. last time i tried to scrap, i barely
made it through one layout and had to
go lay down. tonight, i was able to complete
3 and although i'm feeling pretty exhausted,
i'm not completely spent.

i'll post them when i get them scanned in
and uploaded.
~~peace

why i'm mia so much

2008-05-22T19:54:00.002-05:00

well, lately my headaches have taken a turn
for the worse. i've had the same headache
for over a week straight now, with absolutely
no relief. even with 3 meds!! nothing touches
the pain & i've had some other symptoms
and side affects that i'm dealing with.

my dr. referred me to a neurologist, so hopefully
i'll finally get some relief and answers soon.

anyway, i don't want to share a lot of details, but
just wanted you to know why i haven't been online.
hope to be back soon.

SNEAK A PEAK!!!

2008-05-15T21:23:00.005-05:00

wanna sneak peak of a brand NEW unity stamp???

LOOK BELOW & then join us at SPLIT COAST STAMPERS
for the release PARTY!! =)

Check out the other DT members' blogs for MORE
sneak peaks!! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

thankful to be a mom

2008-05-11T22:33:00.001-05:00

being a mom is such a privelege....it's

also a challenge....definitely hard work. but

it is SO worth it! i love my 3 kids more than

my own life, and i would do anything to keep

them safe and healthy. i'm truly blessed to

have them & i hope they know how

happy they make me! :)

happy mother's day!

gettin' glitzy with it

2008-05-10T12:56:00.002-05:00

here's a project i made using paper by

Glitz Design. you can buy your own

HERE! :)

UNITY's FIRST DAY!!!

2008-05-01T21:51:00.002-05:00

CONGRATS to angela & chris @
unity stamp company!!!!! today is
there OFFICIAL day OPEN for
BUSINESS!!! :) check out the
unity blog to find out more about
opening day!! :) and don't forget
that the stamps will soon be arriving
at Scrap-a-Latte!! so be on the lookout
for them!! :)

tag ideas- take 2

2008-04-27T09:43:00.004-05:00

angela @ unity asked the dt members to create samples to go on the tags of the stamp sets. the biggest challenge for me was to do "simple" layouts. i love product & tend to add everything but the kitchen sink on my layouts. :) so these are my slimmed down projects. =) BIG SHINY FLOWERS- i love this set! so many fun shapes of flowers, which makes them so versatile. i used one of the flower stamps to represent the sun on this 6x12 layout.
i'm going to put little mementos from our panama city beach vacation in this envelope. it truly was our dream vacation & i love the DREAM BIG stamps!!

i created my own patterned paper using another stamp from the BIG SHINY FLOWERS set.

this is one of my fave pics of my baby girl from her first christmas. perfect for the DREAM BIG stamps!

scrappy time

2008-04-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

i really needed to just scrap for the sake of scrapping today. :) so i made this layout of my oldest daughter's freshman year. it's so hard to believe that she only has 3 years left of school, and then she'll be 'all grown up'....or at least she'll think she's all grown up. ;) i hope she always knows how much i love her. i'm so proud of her!

fully loaded

2008-04-20T21:43:00.004-05:00

okay, so i know this isn't exciting to anyone

else, but let me tell you i never dreamed of

our family owning a vehicle this decked out!

i never truly grasped what "fully loaded"

meant....until now. and i am lovin' it! =)

it's a yukon xl...

which means it seats EIGHT!

and i don't mean 8 little people....i mean

eight grown ups!! ;) it's freakin' HUGE!

power everything, rear

entertainment system, 6 CD disc changer,

sunroof, remote starter, and truly TOO

many things to even list!! it's CRAZY madness!!

so, i had to record my love for this big beast. ;)

amazing me!

2008-04-20T21:41:00.003-05:00

that's the name of this FAB stamp kit....
and it could be YOURS!! check it out
HERE!!! =)

worldwide giveaway!!

2008-04-11T18:38:00.002-05:00

that's right...this week's unity stamp company

giveaway is going WORLDWIDE! there will be

TWO winners drawn this week- one in the U.S.

& one outside of the U.S.

so, wherever you are, check this sweet stamp

kit out HERE & leave a reply for your chance

to WIN! =)

mommy, can we talk about God

2008-04-07T19:45:00.002-05:00

so the kids were all being a pain in the
butt tonite....and then at the dinner table,
daniela asks, "mommy, can we talk about God &
what we love about Him?"

i said, "sure".

she said, "i just love that He made Santa
Claus & his beard, too. and that he made
all the presents Santa gives us." "now, what
do you love about God?"

i said, "that He gave you guys to me."

she said, "that IS good. i am also loving that God
made video games. they are SO much better
than board games & i get to put the game in the
gamecube. little man won't let me play, but
at least i get to put the game in."

awwwwww.....is she not the sweetest little thing
sometimes?? totally brightened my mood. :)

a little bit of this, a little bit of that...

2008-04-05T08:31:00.005-05:00

a BIG box of stamps arrived yesterday,
so i decided to get crafty! ;) have i said
how much i L-O-V-E these stamps??
and i just got my grubby little hands
on the innovative, ground-breaking,
earth shattering mounting system!!
WOWEEE!!! it sooooo ROCKS!! i love
the feel you get of stamping with wooden
handles, but i also LOVE to see where
i'm putting the stamp!! this combines
the best of both worlds & it's AMAZING!

project 1- Big Shiny Flowers
I stamped the smaller flowers onto the album & heat set to dry.
Then I stamped three more flowers onto different papers and cut them out.
Added some buttons & misc. goodies & ouila! i have an altered album for my daughter. :)

Project #2- Dream Big
I wanted to keep this one simple, so I created my own patterned paper by stamping the swirlie
stamp onto the purple cardstock. I then stamped the title onto a piece of lightly patterned paper. Attached everything & added a splash of color by using a scrap of green paper & there you have it! my baby girl looking so cute learning to walk! ;)

Project #3- Mocha Latte

This was a fun one! I love using my heat gun....it's addictive! I stamped the steamy froth stamp all over the card using embossing ink. Then i sprinkled some embossing powder on it....heated with my BFF (the heat gun), and it turned into this silvery goodness! ;) then i took an ink pad & added some color to the non-embossed areas. super fun!

thanx for looking! i hope you get your hands on these stamps as soon as they are available! you'll have SO much FUN!!! ;) (oh, and THIS store will have them!)

DOO DADS

2008-04-03T18:47:00.002-05:00

oh, this one is sooooo fabulous!!

the possibilities are ENDLESS with

this kit from unity stamp company!

and YOU could win it!!

check it out HERE!! :)

you can WIN "love is toxic"!!!

2008-03-26T21:48:00.013-05:00

it is my EXTREME pleasure to

introduce you to this funky fresh

set of stamps....aka love is toxic. =)

they are so versatile & i can't wait

to continue creating projects with

them!! here are a few to get your

tongue waggin'! ;)

now, go here http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2008/03/love-is-toxic.html

& follow the directions for YOUR chance to WIN this set!! if you win, please come

back & show me what you've created! i'd LOVE to see it!!

Layout #1- "Love is Toxic"

Stamping Steps for title:

1. Stamp image onto transparency with a Clear "Stamp & Stick Gluepad".

2. Heat stamped image with heat gun for a few seconds to activate the glue.

3. Pour fun flock onto the heated image & press the flock into the glue.

4. Shake off the excess flock.

5. Re-ink the stamp with the "Stamp & Stick Gluepad".

6. Carefully place the flocked image on top of the stamp to re-ink the image.

7. Heat with heat gun again.

8. Pour more flock onto the image & press the flock into the glue again.

9. Shake off the excess flock.

10. Turn transparency over & trace the reverse side of the image with a black permanent marker for added definition.

Supply List:

Unity Stamp Co- stamps; Hambly-transparencies; Bazzill-cardstock; Scenic Route-paper;

Heidi Swapp-decorative tape; Around the Block- label tape; My Mind's Eye- paper;

Stampendous- Fun Flock; Tsukineko- inks on the cardstock to create the "wall" scuffs;

Stewart Superior- Stamp & Stick Glue Pad; 7gypsies- 3D foam adhesive; Scotch-tape

Layout #2- "Daddy's Girl XOXO"
Supply List:

Unity Stamp Co- stamps; Scenic Route-paper; Bazzill-cardstock; Tsukineko-inks; American Crafts-thickers, stickers, gold pen; Making Memories-paper; Sharpie-pen; Heidi Swapp-jewels

Layout #3- "my very merry christmas"

Supply List:

Unity Stamp Co-stamp; Hambly-rubons; Lil' Davis- chipboard; creative imaginations-rubons;

American Crafts-velvet ribbon, thickers; Prima-crystals; Stewart Superior-ink; Heidi Swapp-brad; Making Memories- paper; Bazzill-cardstock; 7Gypsies- 3D foam adhesive; Sharpie- pen

Layout #4- "I love u Birthday Grl"

Supply List:

Unity Stamp Co- stamps; Fancy Pants-paper; Bazzill-cardstock; American Crafts-thickers; Sharpie-pen; Daisy Bucket- paper; Palette- inks; Heidi Swapp-decorative tape

Thanks for taking a peek & check out this link for all your scrapping needs....INCLUDING Unity Stamps! :)
http://www.scrap-a-latte.net/store/home.php

=) happy easter =)

2008-03-23T13:57:00.005-05:00

sarah, teresa, jesse (rubbing the buddha belly) ;)

sarah & jesse
jesus aka little man
angelica aka lica
daniela aka baby girl
teresa aka weezy

well, it's not too cold here....not as bad as they had originally

predicted anyway. but we still decided not to do an egg hunt this year.

but the fam came over & we got some good pics. :)

one of jesse's sisters (teresa) is preggo & her belly has

*popped* out all of a sudden! it's so cute!! ;)

i can not WAIT to get these stamps from

unity to scrap her belly, etc.!! :)

http://www.unitystampco.com/stamps/103-kit_uk194_hot_mama

hope you & yours have a blessed easter!!! :)

scrappy fun

2008-03-21T23:01:00.004-05:00

i just HAD to scrap tonite!!

i'm waiting on a special package

to arrive....it should be here any

day now & it contains an AMAZING

set of FUN stamps in it from Unity!!

but i couldn't wait any longer...

so i used some of my faves that

i already have from unity! ;)

the stamps are from this collection....

http://www.unitystampco.com/stamps/91-kit_uk117w_little_princess

i used the scallop stamp on white

cardstock & then cut it out to mimic

the scallops on the green cardstock

& the pink paper. LOTS of scallop

goodness!! =) (ink was VersaMagic)

i used pallette embossing & watermark

pad to stamp the flowers on the green

cardstock.

other products used:

american crafts-thickers, remarks, white pen

making memories- felt flowers, pink paper

bazzill-cardstock

sharpie-other pens

fancy pants-rubons

hope you enjoy the spring colors!! :)

they make me smile!

hey, all

2008-03-21T20:42:00.004-05:00

well, it's friday nite...jesse's working...
lica's at her BFF's house...and i'm
home "alone" with baby girl & little man...and
the dogs, of course. ;)

so, whatcha up to tonite?
i'm about to get scrappy!

peace~~

2008-03-20T23:15:00.002-05:00

it keeps getting better!!

ever wished you could find the

absolute PERFECT stamp set

you were looking for??? well, now

you have the chance to have

one "created" that you've always

wished for!! check this out!! this

is an AWESOME opportunity!!

oh yeah & you can win the stamp

set pictured!!

http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2008/03/blog-candy-ideas-for-new-stamp-kits.html

i'm ready for spring!

2008-03-19T18:18:00.002-05:00

well, our spring showers arrived
a bit early this year....in fact, wide
spread flooding was quite the problem
in my neck of the woods yesterday.

one man was swept away by the
flood waters....they still haven't found
him. so sad.

so today, i'm thankful to be alive &
to have all my family with me. :)

i love spring, but i don't like too much
rain...it's supposed to be in the upper
60's tomorrow, so hopefully that
will help dry up the water.

happy hump day! :)

Shadows of Life

SCHOOL OF SCRAP

where to begin??

it's been a long time since i blogged

from scraproom-to dining table- to complete

blah, blah, blog.....

hurry, there's still time!!!!

scrap therapy

old & new

it's been a while....

monday musings

snowy sunday

Unmounted Stamp Storage

another scrappy weekend

kinder*garden

week in review

my new 'do!

PICS OF THE ICE

ice storm '09

what i've been creating lately....

jesse's new tattoo

i GOT it!!!

CREATIVE RESOLUTION TIME!!!!

date time!

i wanna be....

jonesin' real baaaaad!

*yawn*

uh-oh.....one resolution bites the dust....

little things mean a lot...

2nd day of january

HELLO 2009!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

sad day for my friend :(

blah, blah, blah...

16th Wedding Anniversary!

feeling better today....

wow! life throws a curve ball....

hippity hoppity....

on the TWILIGHT wagon!!!

time to hip hop again!

what a great KIT!!!

dorothy for the 21st century!

hip hop is here again!!!

inspired blueprints bonus sketch

hip hop to the 10th degree!!!

oh yeah....it's HIP HOP THURSDAY!

thursday....time to hip hop!!

WELCOME, ANNE MARIE and a NEW KOM!!!!

scrap, stamp, crop!

i'm hip hoppin' all over the place!!!

one of my fave stamps

HIP HOP....it's UNITY TIME!!!

wednesday nite...

GO HERITAGE!!! :)

let's HIP HOP!!

it's hip hop time again!

....gotcha!

color me happy!

september 1st....is here...already

lazy day

real life lesson

right on schedule....

Like HIP HOP????

oh, scrappy day!

if you've got it.....FLAUNT IT

fan-CHA-stic

pretty butterfly stamp

a couple of things...

happy birthday, america!!

oh, look at this!!!

check out my new blog

another newbie

the full monty

just a little tease....

Did someone say PART-AY???!!!!

are you smarter than a 5 year old??

good enough to scrap

unity stamp kit!!

call me crazy.....

the 5 year old

yawn