My Favorite Layout

I just absolutely LOVE the way this layout came out. It started out as a goofy closeup picture that was taken by chance. I started playing with the picture coloring on the computer and before I knew it I was scrapping. I used a piece of light peach colored Bazzill paper and added some Fancy Pants rub ons (love them), the acrylic circle stamp, a MAMBI rub on initial on a pop dot(in the middle) and it was done. Note that the top word says Unique. I had been feeling a bit in a scrapping rut lately but this picture has taken me out of it. Every once in a while you get a WOW layout and realize why we scrap and how we get that scrapper's high.

Antique Fair Layout

I am in love with Junkitz paper and seem to constantly reach for it. This design allowed me to do this page with such ease...I just went with the circle flow. I also did my journaling in my own handwriting - I try to do that here and there for the future prosperity of my albums. Of course, I hate my own handwriting as many of us do but it is a lot easier to just journal in hand. Unfortunately a row of stamped buttons isn't showing up on my scan but it is the blurry yellow you see under the quote.

This quote is so perfectly fitting for an antique fair and for a father/daughter relationship. In case you can't read the quote.....

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Walt Emerson

Happy Sunday

Started off sleeping in late which is always nice for a change...10am is late for me. LoL. Had a bagel and watched one of my taped Oprah shows from the past week.....the one about the movie Wild Hogs. Since we haven't been to a movie in a long time, I asked everyone if they wanted to go and off we went. This movie was SO FUNNY!!!! OMG...there are such hysterical parts in it. It has been a long time since I have more than chuckled at a movie and this one had me rolling in my seat to the point where we were laughing so hard, we couldn't hear the next few movie lines said. Originally, I was afraid of the movie being slap silly stupid but instead it was roaringly funny. The actors each played their parts perfectly and of course, John Travolta looked great!

Came home and made a lasagna with turkey meat and sauted onions and now while it is cooking, I am going to get back to my current book....James Patterson's new one Step On a Crack....it is sooooooooooooo good!!

Happy Sunday all!!!

Thirteen

When did my daughter become 13? Gosh...time really flies when you are having fun. I looked at her the other day and said...when did you become 13? She then cracked a joke or two and we laughed and turned the radio up higher and was singing and clapping each others hands and I realized that no matter how old she gets....she will always be my silly little girl. I hope we can always be close and have fun together. It is hard for me to see her as a teenager but I am trying because I don't want to have a strained relationship as can happen at this age. I want to keep all communication open and want my daughter to know that I am her biggest fan and will always be there for her no matter what. Honesty and communication is the biggest part of any good relationship.

By the way...the 13 is Chipboard and the paper and YOU are Bazzil and the You Are Here and Arrow is from an acrylic stamp. This layout may see a bit messy but I felt really free doing something not neat and rigid for a change and just went with what I felt like doing instead of a neat and organized layout.

My Scrapbook Room

I had my closet done by 3 Day Closets and am sooooo happy!! Not only will I have no wasted space in the closet but I will really be able to see what I have in a glance. Some of the pictures above are the rest of my room besides the new organized closet...the corner shelving is my wood stamps and on the other side of the room I have my Sizzix machine and dies on a tv stand table. I split my paper between the closet and the desk for now. I have most of my tools that I always use on my desk and my markers and xyron 250. I can't wait to scrap now and know exactly where things are....I found so much when I had to clean out the closet. I also like the fact that I can close the closet doors and hide the stuff so it doesn't look too cluttered in the room. Also, one section of the closet is inter-changeable for hanging clothes for guests when necessary since my scrapbook room is also the guest room --- you can see that part in one of the closeup pictures. I also have a black couch which opens up into a twin bed in this room and my computer on the other side of the desk that you can't see. Also note...the 2nd to last picture shows a close-up of my 3 briefcases that house my brads, eyelets, buttons and magic mesh....these were very inexpensive and bought at Home Depot in the toolbox aisle.

Laptop

OK I am soo excited typing on my new laptop. It is going to take some getting use to the keyboard but I am getting the hang of it. I also got a wireless mouse because I just don't like the laptop pad mouse. I have a lot of new features that I don't know how to use like the webcam and some of the new Windows Vista features. I am so happy that I won't ever have to go on vacation without my internet again!

I am also hoping that this laptop with Vista and all the new features will be more fun to organize and use for my pictures and scrapbooking.

Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser show has been a favorite of mine for its three seasons. Each time a new show starts, I say that I will start with it.....and each time I don't. I watch the show and am so happy for the contestants that work so hard to get the healthy body they want and need. Last time, some contestants did the work at home to compete and there was one contestant named Poppi who inspired me. She lost 117 lbs to become 115 lbs. She did this at home. I kept thinking to myself....at home, at home.....the show isn't what made these people lose weight....it was themselves! She did it at home! I can do it at home and don't need to be on a show.

I joined the Biggest Loser Club online ( www.biggestloserclub.com)
to have a constant inspiration and a place to ask questions and mark my progress. This is what Poppi did....at home. I have a treadmill, ab lounger and bowflex at home so I have absolutely no excuse not to exercise. I have been dusting these objects for years now! I started exercising on Monday and have done 20-25 minutes a day on my treadmill.

Two years ago, when husband discovered his diabetes, we started eating semi-vegetarian and low sugar but now I am portion controlling like I should always have been. My husbands diabetes was immediately controlled through diet. I always said...we eat healthy but never realized too much healthy stuff can be fattening. I have always been 20-30 lbs overweight....even went to Weight Watchers when I was nine to lose 25 lbs....it's not only today's kids that had a weight problem. My weight is no longer just an extra 30 lbs..it is now sadly double that...I don't know how I got here but I am doing something about it now?

Not only do I want to lose weight for my health and vanity but...I am going on a cruise to Alaska in June and I am NOT going to go with all this weight on my body. I am hoping to lose 50lbs (or more) before June and since the Biggest Loser contestants lost something like 15-25 lbs a month - I am hoping I can do it too. I know exercise is a huge part of how they lost it. Poppi said she exercises 2 1/2 hours a day broken into two sessions. If she can do it....why can't I? I also need to add that since I am a non-smoker for over nine months now, I can breathe to do all this exercise. It feels great. If I can stop smoking...I can lose weight. I read in a diet magazine once where a successful dieter wrote....

I didn't lose weight until I stopped smoking and was able to exercise

. That is a thought that has stayed with me.

I will post my progress. Wish me luck. I need to buy a nice dress for the cruise!!!

PS -- The new puppy is doing great with her training. She has had a few accidents in the house but 90% goes outside to do her business. What a smart little puppy!!

Strawberry Picking

Today we went strawberry picking at a new Hydro-Fresh U-Pick Farm. Took my daughter and her friend and although they were mostly running from the fruit flies or bees or complaining about the heat, I think they actually had some fun. It is hard to tell with pre-teens.

The U-Pick place was much different from previous places we have gone where you have to wade through dirt and are constantly bent over. This place had all the plants in these 5ft high turnstyle plant stands - see the picture above. When we arrived, they handed out baskets and scissors and required that we wash our hands before going into the picking area.

Although it was a hot one out today (85 degrees!) hubby and I enjoyed the strawberry picking - it was relaxing. Tomorrow we are going to make strawberry preserves with Splenda. We made preserves a couple of years ago with regular sugar and it was excellent but now that we watch our sugar for diabetes sake, we are going to try to make it with Splenda and are hoping it comes out just as good.

December

WOW - I cannot believe I haven't posted all month! Sorry to those who read my blog regularly. We were away for two weeks and I don't have a laptop (yet) so that is my excuse.

December went so quick! Did my Christmas shopping early and then we headed up to visit my daughter in South Carolina. Spent a couple of days with her there. Met my furry granddaughter (above) while there....isn't that kitten adorable??? We ate at some great restaurants and walked around downtown Charleston. One place we ate was the Bumba Gump Shrimp Co. and it had Forrest Gump memorabilia all over the restaurant.

Next, we headed up to New York. Our relatives are in New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania. We spent the week including Christmas visiting relatives and enjoying the 30 degree weather. Saw some snow fall twice...it didn't stick enough to play with but it was fun to watch fall. I miss the way my hair looks in cooler weather as opposed to the humidity here in Florida. My hair looked great the entire time we were in NY....no frizz all week.....LOL.

Anyhow, got home the other day and have spent the time getting rid of the jetlag feeling from driving 20 hours and spent the other half of the time doing laundry. It was nice visiting and all but it is great to be back in the comfort of my own home.

For any readers out there...I just finished London Bridges by James Patterson and it was another one of his excellent books. I am now reading Mary Mary by him and then have one more book left in his Alex Cross detective series to read. If anyone likes mystery detective thrillers with a touch of romance, comedy, and total intrigue...this series is for you. James Patterson has a way of writing that keeps you captured until the very last page. It would be thought that after reading so many of his books I might be able to figure out the storyline or guess at whodunit but I never can....LOL. I have also read James Patterson's....Sam's Letters to Jennifer and Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Those two books were love stories but written in the suspense and twist ending style. I just don't know how he keeps doing it...writing twists and curves in every book.

Tomorrow is the New Year 2007 -- Time really flies, especially when you are having fun. Starting the New Year after coming off vacation really gives me this renewed, refreshed and spring cleaning feeling. I don't have any resolutions this year because I finally licked the one I have said year after year....I haven't smoked in nine months and proud of it!!!!!! Hubby hasn't smoked for nine months either and I am so proud of him also. I do have some goals - I will continue spending my time with Family, Exercise More, Read More, Scrapbook More, Save More and Be More Organized.

I have alot of things to look forward to this year...one daughter will be turning 13 and into a teenager and the other will be turning 20 and out of teenagehood (is that a word?). We have a trip to Alaska planned in June and we cannot wait to go there. My husband and I will be celebrating our 14th Wedding Anniversary and our 10th Business Anniversary.

I hope for a Happy and Healthy New Year for our family and yours.

New Layout and Frame

***Loved this picture of my daughters so much that I made it into a frame as well as a scrapbook page! Now that they are getting older, the get together times are fewer and farther apart SO when we do get together and I get a good picture of them both....it is something to scrap about....LOL

Fall in Florida

To get the Fall feeling in Florida....you have to decorate your house. The weather outside won't change and the feeling like summer is still there and the leaves don't fall. I miss the change of seasons that I use to have growing up in New York. Here is my Fall Layout...it's the best I can do living in "Fall-Less" Florida.

Notice that I used the Autumn Leaves clear stamps again....I am addicted to these now and am trying to use them on almost every new layout I do. Love the "You Are Here" and "Arrow" stamps!!! I found the compass in my stash.....don't even remember where I got it or how long ago. See....this is why us scrappers have to constantly shop for stuff that we "may" use in the future.....because when the layout is right.....we will have the stuff we need....LOL.

The background paper is Basic Grey-Hang 10 and the month stickers are Epoxy stickers by Creative Imaginations. The clips on top right are Clipease. The rest of the paper and the Fall letters paper was done with scraps from my scrap folder......I try to go in there more often lately. I also try to use my Coluzzle more often...I used it here for the Fall letters. Some things I have that are old are becoming new to me again.

Clear Stamps Layout

I have a bunch of wood stamps and use them periodically but never really loved stamping. At the Memories Expo, I got a couple of sets of the Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps and just used them for the first time. They are TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I now need to have MORE!!!
How cool to be able to see where you are putting the stamp. If you mess up and all the ink doesn't stamp...you can line it back up and stamp over it. They also clean up extremely quick and easy with just a wash cloth and water. These clear stamps are now my new favorite scrapbooking tool. My buddy in the picture, Jeanne, tried to tell me about these clear stamps sooner but I guess I was too much of a "wood-stamp snob" to listen to her. LOL.

Memories Expo

Just returned from the Memories Expo in Orlando. I meet my bestest buddy there every year and we shop until we drop. Each year we seem to zone in on one type of product or another and this year's theme seemed to be clear stamps and other stamps for us. Look at the ones I have here from Autumn Leaves and Technique Tuesday. I also got a round stamp by 7gypsies that says This Belongs To ------So Give It Back...and stamps like a seal with the words Mine all around the outside of the circle......it is absolutely adorable!!! I also got some Basic Grey Christmas paper and some My Minds Eye paper, title diecuts and tranparencies. And last but not least...........I got a bunch more of the Fancy Pants Rub Ons....DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to use it all.

Halloween Layout

Here is a Halloween Layout.....still working on my daughter's candy that is in the house. Isn't Halloween great?????

Lately - I just love using one large 8x11 or 5x7 on a 12x12 LO. It gives it such clean lines and focus. On this one...the picture is 5x7 but even though I added a few small ones also, it doesn't take the focus away from the larger picture. Granted all layouts cannot focus on one picture or we would be so far behind on our scrapping...oh boy!!! BUT....when it is possible to use one large photo, it looks so nice.

Update

I haven't written lately but have been busy scrapping. I have been busy doing some books for hire....did one Baby Boy album for someone who needed to give it as a gift and then another Little Boy album for someone else. Since I have girls, it was new for me to work on so much "boy" stuff. I also worked on my own Tennessee Vacation scrapbook as well. I used an 8x8 album and it was so quick to do in that size. I used Fancy Pants rub-ons on these pages and OMG do I LOVE them! I recently found this company and LOVE LOVE LOVE their stuff! On the couple page...everything but the strip border is a rub-on and on the Horse page...the frame is Fancy Pants rub-on and the words are K&Co.

Now I am back to finishing up my Christmas 2005 layouts before I need to do Christmas 2006. I am pretty much caught up except for the Christmas ones. I have kept up this year with doing layouts of recent pictures as soon as I get them but somehow Christmas 2005 got put on the back burner. On this layout of my husband and I, I used a real felt bow from our decoration stash.

On another note, looking forward to the Orlando Memories Expo in a couple of weeks...hoping to find lots of Fancy Pants rub-ons there. This will be my 5th year going to this event. Every year I meet my bestest friend/scrapping buddy there (we live 2 hours apart) and we shop until we drop.

Nashville Mini-Vacation

Just got back from a few days in Nashville, TN. What a great place! This picture is one of many barns we saw along the countryside....it just caught my attention. We went with a few friends who have a sister that lives just outside of the city. In 4 days, we saw as much as possible. This trip was a spur of the moment getaway so nothing was really planned. Our friends were looking for land to move there and we tagged along on the look.

On another note.....we ate at the "best" italian restaurant -- Sole Mio. It is 2 blocks south of 3rd and Broadway for anyone in that area that wants to try it out. One of our friends that we were with had worked for this restaurant years ago so the owner and her daughter came to meet us and have dinner with us. Let me just say that the Chicken Marsala is the BEST in the world. It has a cream sauce and not brown like most others. The chocolate amaretto cake was to die for!!! The owners were extremely nice and the atmosphere along with the food were superb!!!

I must also give a shout out to the Creation Station in Franklin, TN. I went to the Factory shops there knowing that there was a scrapbook store there. It was a monday and when I got to the SB store, it was closed! Luckily, the owner and her daughter were inside putting up new displays. I knocked on the door and said I was visiting from Florida and begged to come in the store. They were so nice and let me come in and shop!!!! I got to be the only shopper in the store. This store has lots and lots of great stuff so anyone in that area of Franklin, TN....you need to check Creation Station out. Thank you to the owners for letting me come in and shop, even though you were closed that day.

It is good to be back home though except for the piles of laundry awaiting me. I am feeling jetlagged from the 12 hour drive and just can't get started -- LOL.

Shoe Layout

My family thought I was crazy taking pictures of my feet and shoes! I thought it was a great idea....what do you think??? This layout shows a part of me and what I like. It also shows the trends of the times. When I am old and gray, I will appreciate seeing my 41 yr old feet......LOL. All of our pictures don't have to include our face.

The background paper and the large S is Basic Grey, the flower paper is Scenic Route, the flower is Heidi Swapp and the feet are a stamp.

ReOrganizing Scrapbook Room

I finally got the energy to tackle my office/scrapbook room. I went through a ton of stuff and cleaned out piles of mail, filing and other junk. Hubby painted some sturdy shelves white and hung them for me...he is the BEST!!! When I get everything on them and re-organized, I will take a picture to post but for now -- I had to post and show what I found at Michael's today!!! The colored tins were 50c each and the clear jars were $1 each. The Bling Bling basket was $5. This was all on clearance!!! Love pretty stuff to keep and show my scrapping stuff in!!! Isn't this stuff adorable??? OH and I am also posting these cool wire shelving unit that we hung yesterday.......it is not only efficient but looks great!!!!
Being Organized makes for better Scrapping!!!! Not really sure why my sidebar went to the bottom of the page - probably cause these pictures are bigger than normal.....I am sure it will go back to normal in October.

BUNCO NIGHT

I have never played the game BUNCO before but last night Christine (the owner of my LSS) asked me to be a fill in. I really didn't know anyone that was going to be there except for Christine but I figured I would give it a try. I got to her house around 6pm and got a quick lesson on the game. Everyone soon starting arriving and we had dinner. Everyone was very friendly and made me feel very welcome. We starting playing BUNCO after dinner and it was so much FUN!!! I loved the game...easy and fun. All of us woman chatted and joked around during the game which made it a very friendly and fun atmosphere. During half-time we celebrated someone's birthday and had cake. This group gives out prizes at the end and I won one. Everyone traded prizes for the ones they really wanted so I did the same because I really wanted this tiny desk plaque that said "Life's A Journey". I love that quote - and say you need to find the J O Y in the Journey. I put the plaque in my scrap room/office right away. The person who traded me was surprised I wanted the least expensive prize but it is the one I really wanted...LOL. I traded her with my prize of an embellished glass candy dish.

Christine is now starting a new BUNCO group.....a SCRAPPER'S BUNCO group. The prizes would be scrapbooking supplies. I am definitely joining this group. Not only will that be fun and scrapbook related but it felt good to get out and hang out with a bunch of girls for a change. Sometimes us Mom's don't do that too often and I think we need girl nights. NOT the girl nights we had when we were single ....LOL...but nice, clean fun girl nights like last night. I am glad I was asked to go last night and glad that I took a chance and went.

Self Portrait Scrapping

I just love the way this layout came out. Too many of us scrappers don't get in many pictures and when we do, they are usually posed. Here is a shot of myself that I took by looking in the mirror. It is definitely not the best shot of myself but I wanted that....LOL. Read my journaling that went with on this page and you can understand why. At 41 yrs old, we need to start accepting ourselves for "who we are now" and not miss "who we were" as teenagers or younger adults. One of my favorite quotes is....To wish to be someone else is to waste the person you are. So embrace yourself in the here and now and do a "not so perfect" picture on a layout about YOU!

Here is my journaling from that page.....

Here is a picture of the REAL ME..... no makeup, nothing to hide, no emotion, a blank canvas.--not so bad.

I am basically secure in myself-Of course, I want to lose a few pounds but thathas been the story of my life. Now, I care moreabout being a healthy weight and strive to attain that.

I like my face and have come to terms with my curly hair. I am glad to see that I haven’taccumulated too many wrinkles. I notice somelaugh lines but those are from fun and goodtimes and are ok with ME.

At 41, I have come to the realization that I am not perfect - but I am ME. I still care aboutmy appearance but care more about enrichingmy life with happiness, knowledge and experiences.

I don't pretend to be something I am not.

I am happy to be ME.