Share time :)

Hello everyone! I finally got sometime last night to scrap and I'm so pleased with how my project came out! As I mentioned before, I have been receiving daily emails form  Brave Girls Club and the message from yesterday was such an inspiration to me that I decided I wanted to put in on a wall hanging to inspire my family as well. I used digital supplies that I already had and made my page. Then I backed it with some thin cardboard (a Mt. Dew box, lol) but then I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about hanging it. Then I came across this post over at My Digital Art Studio and knew exactly what I wanted to do. When I saw this photo, I knew it immediately!

SO pretty!! So, here is my finished project:

 Here are some closer shots so you can see the detail a little better (remember, you can always click on the photos to see it bigger):

I hung it at the top of our staircase in the hallway. I hope it inspires anyone who sees it!

On to an update on Grandma. On Monday, the 1st, Grandma got put on Hospice. The new team came out to meet all of us and they were very nice. Sophie was the Social Worker and Lynn was the nurse. Grandma had another breathing episode while they were here. They took her BP and it was 226/138!! They ordered an oxygen machine and some meds to try to help calm her if/when this happens again. Which, so far it hasn't, Praise God!!

Then on Wednesday I got a call from Hospice and found out that the girls that took care of Papa are going to take over Grandma's care as well! We are so thrilled! We now have Trisha as her nurse and Teena is the CNA2. Right away Trish ordered a much smaller wheelchair., one that we can use in the house. We still had Papa's, but it's too big for Grandma and too big to maneuver through the house. Her new one arrived the very next day. I call  it Go, Go Grammy! It's the cutest little red framed wheelchair, perfectly sized for her. What a blessing!

Today, Teena came out and gave Grandma a head to toe bed bath. She did such an amazing job! Grandma got her hair washed, which she loved! :) What would we do without our Hospice family?! I don't want to know!

Before I go, I wanna give a birthday shout0out to my friend Kim!! I hope your whole weekend is blessed! I love you girl!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! The weather here has been so beautiful! I'm really hoping we'll be able to get out and do something as a family this weekend, too. Be Blessed!

Layout Catch-up!

Hello, and Happy Tuesday to you all! I hope you are enjoying you summer vacation so far. We've had several days of sun and warm weather and I have been loving it! Tried to get out as much as possible. Even today, it was 70* even though you couldn't see the sun through the clouds. By this evening it was sprinkling, but it was still very warm and left the air smelling fresh and clean.

Ok, well, it's been a while since I've shared any of my layouts with you, so let me just get caught up. Be forewarned, this may be a long post, lol. I hope you enjoy!

Last time I shared, I left you with a beautiful kit by Sherwood Studio called "Catharsis". I LOVED working with that kit! It is so unique. I just knew what I was going to do with it and it all just seemed to fall into place. (I love when that happens!) Here is my page, "Art Therapy":

Credits:

Kit - 'Catharsis' by Sherwood Studio.

Template by Mye DeLeon (GP May Cluster Your Heart Out Challenge).

Font - Special Elite.

Now, orange is definitely not one of my favorite colors, but I really love how this next page turned out. I had this super cute pic of my kitty, "Sophie", that I wanted to scrap and when I came upon the May Indulgence Challenge over at Brownie Scraps I knew it would be perfect for my photo. (The challenge is to use every piece of the mini kit that they provide. Go check it out sometime! It's a fun one.) I tried a new-to-me technique on this page: cutting out a shape. I cut the section out of the white paper so that you can read the word "moments" from the page behind it. I see this technique so much around digiworld and I love the look! I'll definitely be trying this one again. And here is my page, "Sophie":

Credits:

Kit - 'Moments of Sunshine' by Jacabean Designs (Brownie Scraps May Indulgence Challenge).

Template by Crisdam Designs (Gotta Pixel Temp Challenge 11-2010).

Font - DJB_SWEETROBIN.

I absolutely LOVE the photos in my next page! This is my niece, Natalie. She is so adorable!! I just love her to pieces! And boy does she know how to have fun! Just try not to smile when you look at her ;)

These photos were taken a couple weeks ago when we had a party for my oldest niece, Tisha, who graduated from High School! (SUPER proud of her!!) Here is "Backyard Swingin'":

You smiled, didn't you? ;)

Credits:

Kit - 'Think Spring' SHCO Collab.

Template - 'Building Blocks Singles No. 5' by Tracie Stroud.

Alpha - 'Kinda Sketchy {Black}' by Ellie Lash.

Font - Boring Showers and Problem Secretary.

Summer is upon us, in full swing, and there are so many things we would like to do. I doubt we'll be able to do as much as we'd like to, but the kids and I had fun writing up a list of some ideas. A coupe days later I came across a challenge over at Ginger Scraps asking you to scrap a Summer Bucket List! What perfect timing! So here is what I came up with, "Summer Bucket List 2011":

Kit - 'Summer Day' collab by Ellie Lash and Sunny Day Scraps.

Template by Ramona the pest for the SO June Member Spotlight Challenge.

Fonts - Boris Black Boxx and CK Buddies.

Last weekend Hubby and I refurbished my old desk and made it into the desk I've been wanting for so long. I never seem to have enough room on my desk to be able to use my computer and also be crafty. I knew what I wanted, but I've never been able to find it and never had the money to buy it anyway, lol. Well, I guess I'll let my layout tell the rest of the story. Here is "Desk Remodel":

I entered this page in several different challenges: The June Font Challenge at Brownie Scraps, using Pea Nicki; Scrap Orchard's "What the Font" challenge, using Sea Dreams; and the June Sugar Swap Challenge over at Ginger Scraps. This is the page, by Emma (Hobbes130), that I lifted:

Credits for my page:

Kit - MScraps iNSD 2011 Blog Train Freebie:

Deca Designs - flower, butterfly, ribbon, lace, lined paper, light green paper; Erica Zwart - green patterned paper; Designs by Heather T - frame; ListGirl Designs - flowered paper; Ruth Melody Designs - glitter; Tracy Ann Little - pink paper, string; Yoshiko Designs - heart brad; Designs by Sweet Mesquite - green stitches; Pink Reptile Designs - pink ricrac; MandyMade - brown stitching.

Alpha - 'Sisters' by Ramona the Pest.

Fonts - Pea Nicki & Sea Dreams.

This last one had funny timing also. As usual, Zach had me cracking up over something he had said, but this time I had actually taken the time to write it down. (I always wish I had done that more often as the kids have grown up so fast.) The next day I found the June 6th "Everyday Magic Challenge" over at Scrap Matters. The challenge was to scrap a conversation! Perfect!! Here is "No Beat":

He is my dancin' fool! And my comic relief <3

Credits:

Kit - 'Work It Out' by Ellie Lash.

Musical elements - 'Birds of a Feather' by Ellie Lash.

Template by Blue Scraps for Brownie Scraps June Semi-Homemade Challenge.

Font - Pea Noodle's Girlfriends.

Now, before I go I thought I'd share a quick update on my life with Grandma. We have along over-due appointment tomorrow with a Neurologist. I'm praying he will finally have some answers for us. Her Primary Physician hasn't been much help at all. He has no patience with Grandma. He asks her questions and then talks over her and doesn't listen to what she has to say. I get so frustrated! He has had several tests ran, but never has any answers for us. He has mentioned once that we may be seeing the beginning affects of Parkinson's, but he's not sure. We had a CT Scan ran on the 16th. They found no tumors or signs of a stroke, but there is a lot of atrophy. Her muscles are showing signs of atrophy as well. She is not able to stand straight up anymore, it's almost like she walks in a sitting position, knees and hips bent. She barely has the strength to walk to the bathroom or to her room. I can't walk her anymore as she pulls so hard on me, and our weights are to close to the same that I'm not able to hold her up. Charles walks her so she gets some excercise, but I have her sit in her walker and I push her around the house ;) You gotta do what you can, right? Get creative! Anyway, I'll elt you know how the appointment oges tomorrow. Please say a prayer for her! Things are getting quite over-whelming for all of us here.

One day at a time.....

Backyard Bar-be-que & an update

Hi {waves} remember me? Yeah, I own this blog. I know I've been MIA for a while, but I guess that's just the way things are going for me lately. I have so much on my plate that I have a very hard time getting a routine down anymore. I haven't even had much scrapping time lately, and when I do find the time, I find that my mojo is MIA! lol Oh well, such is life, right?

But, I am here today!

I've been really inspired lately by the blogs that host weekly photo challenges where they give you a prompt and you have to interpret that in your photos... Such as You Create and Simple Scrapper. Today I'm playing along with Simple Scrapper. The prompt for this week is "the backyard barbecue". Now, my hubby is our Barbecue King! Over the last couple years he has had a propane grill... then a smoker... and just recently he got a combination briquette grill/wood smoker. It is my favorite so far! I've missed the classic smell of a good briquette barbecuer. Reminds me of Summer!
Ok, back to the photo. Well, I couldn't pick just one. I went into my photo folders and found a few I've taken over the years (and realized I don't have any of him with his new grill!! Must fix that. And realized that the old propane bbq lasted a lot longer than I realized! lol He definitely deserves his new grill.) Here is my Man grilling his happy little heart out.

Taken in 2004

Taken in 2009

Taken in 2010

Aww, look how young he was in that first one! He's the best Hubby in the whole world! I don't know how I'd make it through each day without him. He's my best friend. And I love him more now than I did 16 years ago when we started our family. I love you, Babe! xoxo

Alright, well I am very happy with my new bloggity! I hope you like it too! If you like the kit I used it is called "Blue Skies & Sunshine" by Sherwood Studio, and you can find it here. I LOVE this kit with it's fresh colors, reminds me of Springtime!
It also reminds me of baby boys. And thats why I used it for the first page I want to share with you. In case you haven't heard, Christopher's girlfriend had her baby on April 27th. He's a precious, tiny little guy and he stole my heart ;) Here is my first page for him:

Kit - 'Blue Skies & Sunshine' by Sherwood Studio.

Template - 'Like 'Em Big 2' by PhotoCowgirl.

Word Art by Bethany.

Font - DJB Angel Baby.

Sherwood Studios is fairly new to me, but I fell in love with her stuff as soon as I saw it in my inbox in a Digichick newsletter. I just had to find out more about her, so I found her blog and fell even more in love! lol. I sent her a message asking about her CT (also sending her a link to my gallery and blog;)) And she liked what she saw and invited me to join! Yay!! I am SO excited! and can't wait to work with all her gorgeous kits!
Her newest kit is actually an iNSD Grab Bag. I had the pleasure of playing with it and here is my page:

Kit - 'iNDS Grab Bag' by Sherwood Studio.

Template by Dawn Inskip.

Font - Teen.

Isn't he just a handsome guy? Yes, God has blessed me abundantly! And I LOVE being a MOM! 

Speaking of which, I wish you all the best Mother's Day ever! Call and wish your own Mom a great day as well. And have a wonderful weekend.

Birthday Princess and a GSO!

I have two new pages to share tonight! I've been getting my scrap on lately! ;) All day I look forward to night time, when my boys and Grandma go to bed and I am not responsible for anyone and nobody is calling my name every couple seconds, lol. This is ME time. I need it, and I deserve it ;)

I love Daily Downloads! My favorites are over at GingerScraps blog. They always have the best stuff! But Gotta Pixel has some cute ones too. A couple weeks ago they had a cute mini by Etc. by Danyale. It was called "Royal Frog Life". As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what I was going to use it for! And, in fact, it was so cute I had to go buy the full kit as well! :) My niece, Akaila, turned 8 last July and I had yet to scrap her photos, because I was waiting on just the right kit, and this was it! Her birthday theme was Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", and here is her page (I hope she likes it!):

Kit - 'Royal Frog Life' by Etc. by Danyale.

Flowers from Ellie Lash kits 'Backyard Sweeties', 'Fairy Tea Party', 'My Favorite Things', and 'Drifting'.

Template - 'Like 'Em Big 2' by PhotoCowGirl.

Fonts - Justice, 3rd Man, and Nyala.

Speaking of the Daily Download over at GingerScraps, that is exactly what I used for my next page! And I have some exciting news to share! I just did this page last night and got it posted to the galleries pretty late. But when I woke up this morning and was going through my Google Reader my page was staring back at me!!! It was chosen as a Gallery Stand Out over at Me So Scrappy! I am so honored!!

These photos were taken at Rood Bridge Park when we were there last Summer for my niece Toni's 2nd birthday. This is my brother, Davie, and another niece, his daughter, Khloe. She is such a doll!! I love how this page turned out, and I hope my brother does too. Here is his page:

Kit - 'Daily' by HK Designs.

BG paper - 'Clean & Simple Cardstocks 1' by That Girl Design.

Template - 'Singled Out' by PhotoCowGirl.

Font - Pea Bandit.

That's it for tonight! I hope you have an amazing Friday!! And if I'm not on again before then, Have a BLESSED EASTER!! God bless...

Happy New Year

Hello everyone. I wanted to check in real quick and let you all know I am still here. In fact, I have some really exciting news to share, but I'm going to save that until next time.

I've been hoping and praying that the new year would be a start to better things, but Grandma and Grandpa have both been in and out of the hospital in the last week, in fact Grandma moved into the same room Grandpa had been released from just hours before! Grandpa is continuing his fight with Lymphoma and right now he's doing pretty good. He's been staying at out house because Grandma wasn't feeling well and we didn't want Grandpa to catch it. Well, we found out Grandma has a little bit of pneumonia. She's doing much better and should be out of the hospital in the next day or two. I think we will probably bring her here to our house too, just so we know they both have constant care and a healthy environment. Charles will go back to work on Monday, as well as the boys going back to school, so it is going to be a big adjustment, but I trust the Lord to supply for our needs, whatever they may be. I just ask that you will continue to keep us in your prayers. Both for strength and understanding for all of us, but also for the continued healing of both Grandma and Grandpa. I hate asking anything for myself, but if you would pray, please ask  the Lord to provide the means for us to make the changes to our house that need to be made so that it is more accommodating to Grandma and Grandpa. We have a half bath downstairs, but really need a full bath for them. It would also be SO helpful to have some kind of hard floors instead of the carpet to be able to move Grandpa around in his wheelchair and make it easier and more sanitary cleaning up any messes. :(
Anyway, I thank each and everyone of you for your continued love and prayer. You are each a blessing to me! Your words encourage me more than yo know!

xoxo, Krista

Warm Memory

I was going through my photos from last Christmas and one in particular just jumped out at me. It's one of my Brother-in-law, Jason, reading to his daughter, my niece, Jenna. She had just got the book for Christmas and he was just reading it to her. No biggie. But, what makes this photo extra special is the fact that Jason suddenly lost all his vision this last year. I know there is a medical reason, but I'm not clear on all of it. All I know is he was fine last year at this time, and now he can't see a thing. I can not even begin to imagine what that must be like for him. And not only for him, but for my sister, Missy, and my nephew and niece, Noah and Jenna. And he's young! Only 42, same age as my hubby. That's so scary to me. What a life altering situation! My sister had just learned how to drive before getting the news that he was losing his vision. What a blessing that was!

I just want my sister to know how very much I admire her for her strength and courage this past year. I wish she lived closer so I could've been/can be more of a help. But I am so proud of her. And of Jason, of course. They've been brave and taken things as they come and keep moving forward. But still, my heart aches for Jason. I can't imagine how I would cope.

I made this page for Missy and Jason. I hope the memory brings them joy.

You can get this page as a QP freebie on Ellie Lash's blog here. Enjoy!

Cold Outside

I don't know about where you are, but it has been COLD here. We did get some snow Monday night of last week, with enough ice to keep the kids home from school, but now it's slowly warming up again. I think we got to a high of 45 degrees today. Wow! I'm ready to break out the shorts again! NOT!!

Well, first and foremost, I want to wish my son, Tyler, a VERY Happy Birthday! He is 19 today! Tyler, I just want you to know how much I love you and how very proud I am of you. (and I hope I'm not embarrassing you, lol) You've had a rough year, but things are really looking up for you and I'm so happy for you! I love you so much!

Ok, the rest is short and simple. I made another new card tonight. I was hoping to get it done in time for the Some Odd Girls Hol-ODD-day Blog Hop, but I lost track of days and missed the deadline. But I LOVE how the card came out, so I wanted to share it with you anyway. Here is Baby, It's Cold Outside:

 And the inside:

Like I said, I used an image from Some Odd Girl. This is Cold Kaylee. Isn't she just adorable??
I also used the kit "Sweet Snowflakes" by Ellie Lash. I absolutely LOVE working with Ellie's kit! They are SO versatile and just plain CUTE!!

So, I'm sure you're now wondering "Where's the freebie template?" I'm sorry about that. You're going to have to wait on that for just a little while longer. I will be giving it away on Ellie's CT Blog to celebrate the 13 Days Before Christmas. You'll have to come on over and join us for lots of freebie goodness! Believe me, it'll be worth it! Ellie's Angels never cease to amaze me! Of course, it's easy when we have such amazing kits to work with! :)

September?? Already!?

Seriously... how fast did this Summer fly by? It was definitely an interesting one for me. Had some ups, had some downs. But overall, it's all good.
About half of my summer was spent without a computer. Not so good. :( BUT we fixed my computer and it's running better than ever! Yay!
A couple of the designers I was CTing for have kind'a gone into hiding for various reasons :( BUT it has given me the opportunity to explore designing on my own. AND to find another new and addicting hobby, Geocaching! Yay!
I was hoping to be able to get out and camp more this summer, but for various reasons that didn't quite happen :( BUT Hubby and I were finally able to go away just the 2 of us and have the "Honeymoon" we never had when we married 15 years ago. Yay! Plus, geocaching has taken us places right around our home town that I had never seen/been to before, and I've lived here all my life! AND we are finally going to our annual Church Family Campout this weekend! We look forward to this every year! So, like I said... Ups and Downs, we take the good with the bad.

Well, in the craziness that was my summer I got behind in posting some of my layouts. So, that's what I'd like to do now, just to play a little catch up. You might even find a freebie at the end that you might like ;)

These first three was done clear back in June.
First is one I made using Creations By Rachael's kit "Sweet Pea". I also used "Big Title Templates" by Scrapping with Liz. Here is 'Toni':


This next one is another page from our yearly 4th of July Tradition, The CAT Walk. It's a 5k Run/Walk that raises funds for Cancer Awareness and Treatment. These photos are from last years walk, when we were ALL there to support Papa. This year I was not able to participate because of my Fibromyalgia, but I was still there! (saving us a spot for the parade! hehe)
On this page I used Ellie Lash's kit "Americana" and "Template Set #11: Corner Blocks" by Listgirl Designs by Christine Newman. Here is CAT Walk '09':


I made this one for the June 11th Scrap Orchard Challenge. I used 3 different kits on this page. I used "Tropical Punch" by design by dani, "Tropical Popsicle" by Miss Mint, and "Fresh" by Delicious Scraps (which I am unable to find in her shop anymore). I also used a template I made myself! ;) This is 'Tropical Paradise':


This next one was made with "Stars and Stripes" by Creations By Rachael.The Word Art is 'Patriotic WordArt' by The Scrapping Sisters. The template is by Sas Designs from "You and Me". Sorry, that kit was a CT Appreciation Collab. Only us scrappers who were on a Creative Team at the time were able to access and download that HUGE, amazing kit. Here is my page, and my cousins' ADORABLE new little girl, 'Americana Amy':


Oh! Another thing I got to do real early this summer, well I guess school was still in, but technically it was summer, lol. I went to Women's Retreat with the ladies from my church! That was a BLAST! We got to play on a zip line that ran down the hill just behind our cabin! That's all it took for a bunch of Mom's AND Grandma's to turn back into children! ;)
For this layout I used "Ready Set Play" by Plucky Pear Designs (Creations By Rachael and Late Night Scraps). The template is "Catch Up Template 2" by Jady Day Studio. Here is 'Adults At Play':

I loved this kit so much I had to use it twice! It's just so bright and fun!
I've had this photo of Zach for a couple of years now and I just love it. It just epitomizes the carefree life of children. Zach LOVED this horribly run down old swing set (it had been a hand down, then it was smashed right in the middle when a large branch fell from the tree in a big wind storm! Hubby pushed the bar back up, but it was never the same, but to Zach it was still the BEST!) He loved to lay on his tummy and fly! And when he was able to grab an apple from the tree to enjoy on his ride... well, that was all that much better! Here is 'Summer Fun':


Ok, I think it's getting a little long for one post. So, I'm stopping here and I'll come back to share the rest of them with you later. I won't promise anytime this weekend, because, like I said, I'll be CAMPING! And that's going to give me more photos to come back and scrap and share, hehe ;)
But, I DID promise a freebie, didn't I? How about a QP from Ellie Lash's newest kit, "Back To School"? I know a lot of kids have already started back to school, and others are heading back this next week. So now you'll have a page all ready for those first day photos! I hope you love it! And if you do, leave me a message! It makes my day to hear what you think! (Click the image to download)


Have a safe Labor Day Weekend, for those of you in the States, and a blessed weekend to everyone else!

Digital therapy...

Hello! I have three layouts to share with you tonight. I'm trying hard not to get all backed up again! LOL

For this first one, I used an adorable kit by Ellie Lash called "Organic", and also the Add-on. When I first saw this kit, I thought it was totally cute, but was disappointed because we don't have a garden, we don't shop at the Farmer's Market or visit U-Pick farms, so I didn't think I was going to get to use it... But then, when Charles and I were redoing the front yard, Zach spotted a packet of carrot seeds that he just had to have! And hey! If he wants to eat fresh grown veggies, am I really gonna say no? LOL!
So, Charles and Zach spent the better part of a Saturday working together to build a special planter, just for Zachy's carrots. Then they filled it with soil and planted their carrots. I was proud to see how hard Zach was working right along his Daddy. It was precious. And, of course, I took WAY too many pics! hehe But I do LOVE the page I made to remember this special day. First, here is the kit:

And here is my page:

Oh! I also used some awesome new CU products by That Girls Designs. I used "Stripes 1" and "Scalloped Frames". She's just getting started on her CU stash and I am SO excited to see what else she's got!


I have been wanting to scrap the photos in this next layout since I took them last November. That would be when I turned 38 and was not oh, so thrilled about it. lol But Mom didn't want my day to go by unnoticed, so she set out to make me a very special cake. :D She had just bought the pan and had never used it yet, so it was pretty experimental. hehe. When it was done, she was NOT very happy about it's appearance, but I loved it. Loooking at it made me smile, and it tasted wonderful, but most importantly, my Mom had set out to do something special just for me, and I truly treasure that.
For this page I used "I *Heart* You" by Project B Designs. Of course, I LOVE this kit! How could I not?? Look at all that pink! And I LOVE gerbera daisies!

And here is my page:



Alright, one last one. I just finished this one tonight and I'm very happy with how it turned out. I'm not very good with the graphic style of scrapping, but I really wanted to try it on this layout. I took this photo of Tyler on Mother's Day, and he doesn't like it. He told me, "If I had known you were going to use that one I would've posed nicer." The thing is... this is how Tyler looks most of the time lately. The fact that he's 18 has sunk in and he's kind'a taking advantage of his new found freedom. Unfortunately, I don't agree with a lot of his choices and sometimes I truly fear for him. I think we are both going through a learning stage right now. He is testing his boundaries, and I am having to learn to let go and let him make his own mistakes, praying that he's learning from them. I feel like he's forgotten who he was raised to be, who God plans for him to be. And I think he feels like I'm trying to control and smother him. Anyway, this page was a little therapeutic for me, but I will continue to pray for him, through this faze and until the day I breath no more.
Here is my page:

This was kind of a hodge-podge page. I used bits and pieces from so many different kits:
Black BG Paper - 'Serenity' by Brandy Designs.
Lined BG & Key - 'Interludes' by Bon Scrapatit.
Photo Mask - 'Re-Create Add-on' by Createwings Designs.
Screws - 'Love My Boys' by Creations By Rachael.
Mesh - 'Autumn Hues' by Creations By Rachael.
Stitched Border - 'Messy Machine Stitched Borders' by Brandy Designs.
Ink Splatter - 'Canvas' by Brusheezy.
Paint Mask - 'Feeling Froggy' by Creations By Rachael.
Leaves - 'Dont' Eat The Daisies' by Alexis Designs.
String Wrap - 'The Best Ships Are Friendships' by Alexis Designs.
Heart, Flowers & Ribbon - 'Romantic Blues' by Alexis Designs.
Fonts - Pegsanna HMK, Trashed, St. Nicholas, Sketch Rockwell, Rockwell Extra Bold, Repress Capitals Heavy, the Blue Cabin, Trajan Pro, the King & Queen font, Sandals, Sea Dreams, Turtle Club, Ring O Fire.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you are healthy and happy! Be blessed today!

Another end to another month...

Happy Memorial day, to those of you in the States! In our family we take a few extra minutes on this day to remember not just our service men and women, but also those in our family who have gone home to be with the Lord. My Dad is one of those who have gone ahead of us. We have made it a family tradition to go out and take Dad flowers and talk about him at his graveside on this day each year. My husband and kids never got to meet my Dad, as he passed when I was 17 years old. Dad and I had a very strained relationship for many reasons, one of them being that he was my 'step' Dad, even though I've never called him that, because I was only 7 months old when he met and married my Mom. Growing up he and I never seemed to find a common ground... Until now. Well, make that about 15 years ago. That would be when I met and married my hubby and his 2 kids. When I became a 'step' Mom I was able to see and understand his side of things SO much better. I only wish he had been around long enough for me to tell him how much I appreciate what he did for all of us. What a wonderful man he was for marrying my Mom, with her 2 little girls, and raising us to the best of his ability. What an amazing example of a husband he was to all of us kids. My Mom was always his first joy and priority. He was an amazing provider for our family, and definitely a man of God. If it had not been for his insistence that we attend church while I was growing up, I probably wouldn't have the relationship with my Heavenly Father that I do now. I wish that he could've met my Husband and children. He would have loved them all and they would've loved him, too. So, I today I take just a couple extra minutes to tell my Dad how much I love him and miss him. I love you, Dad!

Alright, enough, cuz now I can hardly see thru my tears... So, let's get back to scrapbooking ;)

Here is one that I completed a couple weeks ago, for Brandy's Design. When I saw this kit, my first thought was, "Hmm... None of my boys have ever been into dinosaurs :(" But then I got looking at the kit more closely and realized just how versatile it can be. I really liked the unique elements that Brandy included in this kit. And the color scheme is soft and natural. I really liked it! Take a look at the kit (which is linked to the product in the store), followed by my page:

The template I used is Blog Freebie #13 by Colie's Corner. And the fonts are Socially Awkward and Reservoir Grunge.

I also had some fun playing with some of Brandy's older kits for this next page! These are the products I used (again, linked to the store):

*A little news from Brandy Designs: Brandy has decided to close her shop at Scrapable for personal reasons. But, she can still be found at Polka Dot Plum! The template set was sold at Scrapable, so I'm not sure if/when it will be made available at PDP.

Here's my page:

I used a Word Art by Katie Pertiet. And the font is Larger Mime. I also used a photo action by Pioneer Woman called "Soft and Faded".

Now for a bit of a catch up again, but this time it isn't my fault. All of these pages where due at the same time! The SUN was down for a total of 16 days for remodeling, and tomorrow will be our first day back up! Yay! AND, It's also our 2nd birthday!! Whoo Hoo! So I hope you'll join us for TONS of new challenges and excitement this week! (Just remember, these kits won't be available until tomorrow, June 1st.)

Here is a page I just completed using Valarie Ostrom's "Boys Club Grab Bag". This kit is a great deal! You get 2 mini-kits, a full alpha AND a template pack! Remember, the page image is clickable to see it larger. (I will come back tomorrow and link the kit previews up to the products in the store, once they are available)

I LOVE the color scheme of this kit! And it's, obviously, very versatile as well! The template is Freebie 45 by ChrissyW, and the font is Century Gothic.

My next 2 pages are also made with kits you'll find at Sunshine Studio Scraps, but they were both made with kits by Ellie Lash. (Can I just say, I am LOVIN' being on her CT! Her style is SO my style! I can't get enough of the cute!)

My first page is made from her grab bag, which includes 2 full kits! It's FULL of total cuteness!

That is just one of the kits in the bag. The template is from a template pack called 'Lotsa Paperz' by ChrissyW ( I just LOVE her templates!!) And the font is DJB Coffeeshoppe Venti.

Ellie's other kit, available tomorrow in the SUN, is called "Little Grad's". Just in time for all those preschool and Pre-K graduations that are fast approaching! I decided to us this kit to showcase another educational milestone that Zach met not too long ago... learning to read!

The template is 'Layout Builders - Wave On Wave' by Amanda Heimann and the font is DJB Coffeeshoppe Venti. I love that font!!

A little note about Ellie: Her guest spot over at Scrapable has been extended another month! So you can find her there through June, as well as in the SUN! She has some adorable new kits coming out exclusively to Scrapable, too. I'll be back to share those with you soon!

And last, but surely not least... A couple of amazing new kits by Creations By Rachael.

Rachel is a guest designer at The Digi Chick for the month June! How exciting is that?! Her first exclusive kit there is called "Berry Sweet" and it is Oh, SO SWEET! I just love it! (Kits will be linked tomorrow, when available in the store)

I used this great template by wm[squared] from a Tuesday Template Challenge at Scrap Matters. The font is Pea Cari.

This last kit by Rachael is a collaboration with Late Night Scraps. They work together quite often under the name of Plucky Pear Designs. This kit is called "Star Light, Star Bright" and can only be found at Scrapbook Bytes. I love the dreaminess of this kit. There are so many unique elements and some gorgeous background papers. It's just beautiful!

I used another template by ChrissyW, 'In The Middle' Template pack. The font is SS Whimsy.

The template is 'For The Fans' Freebie by Tiny Toes Designs. I used a Photo action - 'Faded Day Dreams' by CoffeeShop. And the fonts are DJB Angel Baby and Love Ya Like A Sister.

Well, that's it! I hope you've found some inspiration, or at least enjoyed my pages! ;) I also hope that June brings you all the love and blessings you can handle, and then some more! Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world!

xoxo, Krista