Goodbye 2009...

Hello 2010!

Where has the time gone? I cannot believe we have entered 2010! I remember as a little girl that seemed SO far away, like we would never see it in our lifetime, and now here it is! Two Thousand Ten! Hmmm.

Ok, let's see. Where have I left off and what do I need to fill you in on? Well, you might be in for a long winded post. Just warning you in advance, lol.

On the SUNny side of things... we've had a bumpy month over at Sunshine Studio Scraps. Things have been getting pretty slow around there and at one point they had decided it was time to close up shop. BUT! Dut-du-duh! Nicole (aka Sugarplum Paperie) and Michelle Batton, 2 of the oringinal Sunshine Girls are coming back to shake things up a bit! There are a few changes happening and I am SO excited to see the life come back into one of my favorite sites. In fact, the very first place I was accepted to CT for! We've got new challenges, a new points system, new designers! You have to come check it out for yourself!

Speaking of change... there are a lot of things happening with GET Designs as well! She has opened up a new store over at Scrappity-Doo-Dah, so go check it out! She's got a sale going on right now through the 10th, so hurry over to take advantage of that!
I can't wait to show you the page I am working on using her "Backyard Explorer" kit. I have a great photo that I have just been waiting for the perfect kit for, and I think this is it! I'm so excited to work with this kit! Just look for yourself at the great colors and adorable elements!

And something new that I haven't had the chance to announce until now! I have been accepted to be on the blog team for Brandy Designs! I get to work with all her amazing kits, just like her Creative Team does, but I have no required pages, I just have to help her and her other Blog Team members with the blog! How great is that!? I am SO thrilled, because I LOVE her designs and she is such a sweetheart! I'm loving being on her team already! I've already used her kit "Santa's Shoppe" for my blog background and I'm still trying to get around to that page of my boys opening their favorite gift from last Christmas, that I was telling you about last time. Now I've also got one of her new kits that's not even out yet, so keep your eyes open for that one! It's SO pretty! ;)

Okay... now I would LOVE to show you some of the pages I've gotten done lately. :)
I'll start with "Let It Snow". I used "Snowman Soup" by Tracey Howard Designs and "Christmas Joy" by The Ettes & Co.'s Annette Ward, both from Scrap Orchard. I did this page for a scraplift challenge over at Elemental Scraps. This is the page I lifted, and here is my page:
The photo was from last winter, one of the rare, treasured moments when Zach and Akaila got along so well!

Next is "Queen Of The Castle". I did this one for the Inspired By... Challenge, also over at Elemental Scraps. ChrissyW made the mini kit, 'Fly Away', just for the challenge and we had to use it for our layouts. Here is my page:

I love how this turned out, because the actual photos I took here didn't turn out so great. Zach was sitting on the bottom bunk of his VERY messy bed. I have a bad habit of not taking the whole view into consideration before clicking the button. But I got the idea to extract what I wanted out of the photo and I LOVE way it turned out! Zach does too, and that's good enough for me! ;)

Aww, here's one that Zach isn't so fond of... But I LOVE it! It's hard to believe that he was once so chubby, he's such a skinny little thing now. ;) Here he is in "Adorable Zachary" when he was about 8 months old. Check out those cheeks! Gotta love 'em! Hehe

I did this one for the Twisted Lift Challenge over at Polka Dot Plum. Here is the page I lifted. I used "Little Boy Blue" by Creations By Rachael. The alpha is from "Take Me Away", a blog freebie by Jennifer Fox Designs.

I did another Photo Swap challenge. This time it was at Inspiration Lane. I was paired with jrmminga09 to swap photos. Here is the page I made with her photo, "Fun In The Sun":

I used "Bahama Mama" Collab by the Sunshine Studio Designers. Contributing Designers used are: AmandaKay, TLC, Scrapidea-Timkoave, Scorpiosue, SBP, Michelle Batton, Juno and dliemert. And the template and a couple other things are from "Island Splash" Collab by the Sunshine Studio Scraps Wonder Girls. Template by WG Teri, and a paper by Lcarl.

The photo I sent her is another cheeky one of Zach. This is the page she made for me:

Cute, huh? I SO miss those cheeks! LOL!

Ok, I finished the month of December at SUN with a gorgeous kit by Ldrag Designs called "Bedazzled". Again, I had a great photo that I've just been waiting to use. This is my niece, Jenna, looking very pretty and oh so grown up! She had just had her bath before bed and her hair was down, which I hadn't seen before. She usually has it pulled back off her face. She just looked so beautiful to me. Love ya, Jenna!

I also used an alpha from another Ldrag Designs' kit, "La Innamorata!'. The mask is from 'Grungy Blending Masks' by Scorpiosue. All products found at Sunshine Studio Scraps.

Alright, last one. But, this one is one of my FAVES! Remember those new designers I told you about at SUN? Well, I got to play with them already! When I saw "La Tua Cantante" by litabells designs I knew immediately I was going to love working with it. The colors are just SO rich and warm. It is gorgeous! I also used a template pack by litabells designs called 'Block It Up'. Here is my page, "Growing Up So Fast":

I LOVE moments like this when Cody and Zach are getting along so well. But it's bitter-sweet to watch how fast they're growing up. But they are good boys, and I am so very proud of both of them. :) Yep... another year gone... Time continues to fly by.

My parting words are a prayer of blessing over the new year. I pray that you will all be blessed with good health, much love and everything you need to make this a prosperous year. God bless and love you all! Happy New Year!

Playing a little catch up...

First off, I want to wish my sister, Missy, a very Happy Birthday! I hope your day is special and that you are truly blessed this day and this year. I love you!

So, last time I told you I was accepted into GET Design's Creative Team. I'm so excited! I love her kits! I've already had the pleasure of working with my first kit. It is a collab between GET(Ginny) and ProjectB Designs(Bianca). It's called "Warm Winter Wishes" and here is the first page I made with it:

This is Zach when we where out Christmas tree hunting last year. It was like a winter wonderland out there. Snow covered everything and it was just gorgeous! We also had a lot of fun playing out there in the trees, hiding and throwing snowballs, slipping and sliding.

Along with "Warm Winter Wishes" I also used a template by ChrissyW from the 11/16 Template Challenge over at ElementalScraps. I look forward to using this kit again to make some Christmas cards and more winter layouts. You can find it in her stores HERE and HERE, and for a limited time when you buy the kit you get the add-on free! Hurry! What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Over at Sunshine Studio Scraps, I chose another kit by Shanmomto4 Designs for my 3rd kit this month. I absolutely loved her kit "Cool And Collected". I love the blue and brown color combo and the elements are just too sweet. I used one of the photos my daughter took of her little niece because the colors were just so perfect together and I just love these photos of Emma. This is my page:

The kit I used is also from SUN. It was made my MandiN for the 11/5 Template Challenge. It was very fun to work with! I loved the crooked photo blocks.

Last night my hubby, Charles, and I took our youngest, Zach, to see "Planet 51". That is such a cute movie! Zach and I laughed through the whole thing! Charles did what he always does at the theater, he slept. LMBO! He takes very expensive naps! Hehe.

Ok, I'm off now to make some Thanksgiving gifts for some of the ladies at church. I really ought to get started on Christmas Cards soon, too. It'll be here before I know it! And, most likely, before I'm ready! lol So, I'll be back to share more as soon as I can! Until then...C'ya!

Bad blogger, and bad big sister... :(

I'm sorry I've been MIA so much lately. I have been scrapping, doing hybrid, making cards, and I'm SO tired lately.

Last weekend we got the opportunity to go see my brothers new baby girl, Khloe. She is SO beautiful! I took lots of pics, but my camera isn't working very well lately, so not too many of them turned out real well. But I did get a couple really good ones that I could use to scrapbook her first page by Aunt Krista. :) I told my brother I would have it up on my blog for him several days ago but I just kept forgetting to do that. But I'm here now, Davie! And I have the page ready for you. Here is 'Khloe's 1st Page':

Isn't she a DOLL?! She is so beautiful. I only wish they didn't live so far away. It makes me sad to know she isn't going to know who we are next time she sees us. If you remember, Davie's girlfriend and her little girl, Natalie, lived with us earlier this year. When we went to see them Natty didn't know who we were and it made me so sad! :( I wish they could lived here in town somewhere. I want to watch those little girls grow up. I want to be able to babysit them. I want them to know us as family. Hmm...

Anyway, as I said, I've been doing some scrappin'. Not a whole lot, but I wanna show you what I have done.

I hosted the Thursday Template Challenge over at the SUN this week. And I made my own template this time! See, I was surfing a ton of site earlier this week, with all the DSD (Digital Scrapbooking Day) hoopla going on I was EVERYwhere. Well, I saw a bunch of pages done on one site (which I didn't write down the name of) that were all done on the same template. I searched for the template, but couldn't find it anywhere. So I decided to make it myself! I'm am NOT a real good template maker, so it was very basic, but I liked that because it allowed the ladies to let their imaginations run. Here is a page I made using this template:

Tyler has always been a dare-devil. If you know him, you know that about him. This photo was taken at the top of a pretty steep hill in a park near our home. When I saw this kit in the SUN store I knew I had to have it! It's called 'Skater Dude' and it's by Shanmomto4 Designs. It's great for any skater boarders in your life.

I got to use Simpy.Scraps kit "Tiger and Sparky' and her template pack "Copy This 2!" to scrap a couple pages of our kitties. The other day we found the two of them napping on Steph's bed, which they aren't allowed to do, but they looked so pretty up there snuggled up in her comforter. Bella also had her front paw wrapped around Gracie's shoulder. It was SO cute! I HAD to take pictures. lol Here is "Pretty Kitties":

Then last night Zach decided to play a game of Chess against himself. LMBO! He's crazy, I tell ya! Well, when he was done playing he did what every kid does and left it laying on the floor. That's where Bella and Gracie found it and decided it looked like fun! It was just just too cute to not photograph! Here is "The purrfect Game":

I have found that I REALLY like Hybrid lately, too. Last year I found a project that I really wanted to try. It was using old CDs to make Christmas ornaments. The only problem I had was putting a hole thru the CD to string it up. Well, my precious hubby bought me a Crop-a-dile for my birthday this last week! It is amazing! It punches holes in just about anything! And VERY easily. I am loving it! I already made one as a Thanksgiving decor. I used a template by Brooke Kemp. The kit I used is 'Little Charmer' by Bella Gypsy and 'Take Stock Nov. Color Play" by BZBDesigns from Elemental Scraps. The WordArt is by Rena Kroe from the Scripture Challenge over at Scrapbook Elements. Here is "Thanks And Praise" (front and back):

I have also been making some hybrid cards. I used "Winter Wishes" by Valarie Ostrom at Sunshine Studio Scraps to make this one. The template is by Simply J for the 11/3 Tuesday Template Hybrid Edition Challenge at Scrap Matters. Here is "Winter Wishes":

One more thing... I have some really exciting news to share! I was recently accepted to CT for GET Designs! She has some really cute kits that I am anxious to work with. She is in the middle of some changes right now, so I'm being patient, lol, but I'll be back to share when I get something done.

Until then... C'ya!

Catch up time...

Sorry I've not been keeping up this week. I've been doing a LOT of Scrap Therapy. BUT! My honey is finally on his way home! YAY! I have missed him terribly this whole week! But I am happy now, because I will see him very soon. Of course, Tyler to. It's been strangely quiet around here with him gone, lol. I'm very much looking forward to them both being back.

So, let's get ya caught up on what I've been doing...

First, I found my most favorite kit yet! It's called "Country Princess" by mimi's digiscraps. It's full of pinks and browns, which is FAV color combo, AND it's country. I've always wanted a horse! The alpha is from "Neapolitan Taffy" by Dani's Delusions. And the template is from Trixie Scraps out of the "Essence Collab". All found in the SUN! The photo is of my niece, Akaila, on my brother-in-laws horse and another niece, Kayla, leading it. Here is "Horsin' Around":

I love this next one! I have an old picture of my Mom when she was about 3 years old. It's the cutest photo! I scanned it a long time ago, but have never anything with it, until now. I'd like to think I was jst waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it, and this was definitely it! I did this page for a Speed Scrap over at Elemental Scraps. The kit is "Back To Basics" Collab from Elemental Scraps. The alpha is from the Nov. Mega DDD by CAZ. And the template is by Laurie's Scraps from Ahhh Scrap Blog Train. Here is "Precious Girl":

I did my next page in a Speed Scrap at DesignsInDigital. The template was provided for the challenge by Tiger Lily's Digis. The kit is 'Boys Rule' by Scrap Berry Designs at Scrapable. I liked that I was able to use several of my photos of Cody in this one, but I plan to do pages highlighting each of them better. Here is "One Awesome Kid!":

My next page was done for a Scraplift Challenge at the SUN. You can find the page by Theresa that we were lifting here. But I also drew inspirations from this page by Caro here. I absolutely LOVE this photo of Charles and Zach, so I am thrilled that I was able to showcase it this way. The kit is 'Beachy Treasures' by Joanne Bain Designs found at PickleBerryPop. It is a gorgeous kit! Here is "Seaside Moments":

Here is a second page I just did for this one in a Speed Scrap in the SUN, using the same kit as above.

Here's one I did for an "All About Me" Challenge over at ElementalScraps. We had to scrap something that we can't go a day with out, LOL. Me? I can't go a day without my computer!

The kit is 'Cherish Friends' by Ramona the Pest Designs. The template was a freebie by ChrissyW. (I LOVE her templates!) Here is "My Daily Obsession":

And this last one is one I've been wanting to do for quite a while. I found a condensed version of President Obama's Speech To America's Schoolchildren on someone's blog (I can't remember where) and was actually really impressed by his words. I'm not a huge fan of his, so I wasn't to excited at the idea of him speaking directly to all of our kids, but like I said, I was impressed. Since finding this condensed version I have now read the entire speech and was even more impressed. He did a good job! (or at least his speech writers did, lol) Anyway, Searching through my digi stash I found this kit that I did not even know I had (which isn't really surprising :P) called "Inauguration" by DigitalFingers at eidou (which has since shut down, sorry). I got the white bow from 'Boom Boom Pow" by Penny's Creative Team at SweetShoppeDesigns. Here is "Obama's Speech To Students '09":

Whew! That is it! I told you I have been scrappin' like crazy this week. I really needed someething to pass the time waiting for my hubby to return. But in the time since I started this post, he has returned! YAY!!! So, I'm off now, to spend a little quality time with him. ;) I will be back when I have something new to share with you! Until then... C'ya!

Sweet Stuff...

OK, so I started working on my page for "His Holy Name", but with all the excitment of the weekend, I got a little distracted. Don't worry, I haven't quit on it, I've just laid it aside for a tiny bit. :) See, I took tons of pictures on Saurturday, Independance Day here in America, and while I was looking for free kits and templates to work on those I found an awesome template over at ElementalScraps.com in their Template Challenge. I also found a Photo Challenge over at CreativeVictorianDesigns.com. You have to use a photo of a persons profile and I knew just what photo I was going to use. So I combined the 2 challenges and this is the layout I came up with:
The kit I used is from SunshineStudioScraps.com. It's a collab called "Chocolate Cherry Delight". Here's a peek at the kit:

Isn't it Gorgeous?! The image is linked so you can click on it to go check it out for yourself in the store.

Unfortunately, I also have some bad news today. My Papa's brother, Pat, who also had cancer, passed today after a very long and painful struggle. My Papa has wanted very badly to go see him one last time, but was never able to with his own struggles with his health. Please continue to keep my Papa in your prayers, for his own health and for the loss of his brother. I'm worried about how he's going to hande the loss. They weren't even able to speak for the last several months. (I think Pat had lost the ability to talk?) His whole family is in my heart and prayers tonight. God bless them with peace and comfort.