I am alive!!

Hello all! Has it really been 2 weeks since I lasted posted! So sorry! It has just been one of those months and I feel like I have hardly had time to do anything. Feeling so busy and tired kind of steals my mojo for stamping...I know so sad, right?? I have been working on a couple of things...my Christmas cards unfortunately are not one of them. I have been working on a special class for a Photo Explosion Box. A fun gift idea that gives the wonderful gift of pictures in a unique way. My design is kind of in process though right now, but my current customers should be receiving an invitation to attend this special class.

The other project I finally completed was to decorate the box that I put all of the amazing RAK's in for the Dunn Family. I wanted to give them a pretty box along with the heartfelt greetings. It turned out fairly well...probably needs some more decoration, but I wanted to get it done to send to them. They should be receiving it in the next week or so. Thank you again to all of you for helping me send them a little love, support, and prayers!!

Oh and don't forget to check out Splitcoast Stampers for a view of all of the RAK's! Follow this link...Cards posted on SCS

A Family Christmas

This will be a quick post. I wanted to put something out there, but sleep is calling my name. After having laryngitis this week with a VERY annoying cough, I simply feel I cannot catch up on my sleep. It probably doesn't help that our son is now getting up just about every night at 3 am or so since he moved into his "Big Boy" bed. Really hoping this phases out soon!! Anyway, this was the last scrapbook layout that I did at that scrapbooking weekend. I have a hard time with Christmas pages for some reason. I think because I feel like they always come out the same or something. This one turned out fairly well, although I will admit it is not my favorite. I ahd some sparkly embellishments that I wanted to use and a variety of pictures (with all different colors!).

Nothing major done here. The base page is Mellow Moss with Ruby Red and Sahara Sand Strips. I stamped the holly border in Mellow Moss ink above and below the strips of Ruby Red and colored in the berries with Ruby Red marker. I embossed the title in Gold and Silver embossing powder. Other that that I just found spots to add my sparkles and went with it. You can see each individual page below.

I got all of the Dunn Family RAK cards (Blog Candy for a Cause) into a box, but I want to decorate the box before I send it to them. Hopefully I get that done in the next couple of days. I will take a pic of it before I send it on so you can all see it! Later I will also post RAKs that people sent me in addition to sending me one for the Dunn Family! So sweet!!! Until then, have a great week!

The Engineering Details: Stamps - Itty Bitty Borders (Retired), Canvas, Quirky Alphabet Upper and Lower (Retired); Paper - Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Sahara Sand; Ink - Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand, Versamark, Ruby Red Marker; Accessories - Silver Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Moss Grosgrain ribbon, Sparkly ornaments and Stars by Jolee's, Gold brads, Silver and Gold Embossing powder; Supplies - Photo Corner Punch, Heat Gun, Glue Dots

Dunn Family Update and Blog Candy Winner

Hey everyone! Sorry for the absence from posting. I was busy getting ready for a workshop and processing all of the beautiful cards I have been getting for the Dunn Family. I have been completely overwhelmed by the amazing response for a family that you have only read about! The stamping community is truly amazing! As I continue to post all of the cards to SCS (I will post again once I have them all up so you can check them out!), I wanted to share with you a little bit about the response I have gotten. Around 80 people have sent cards, gifts, and prayers. The Dunn Family will be receiving cards and prayers from all over the United States, throughout Canada, England, and even Australia! The power of the Internet at its best! So thank you to all of you for taking the time to send me the cards...I am honored to box them all up and send them to Michael, Alissa, Isaiah, Isabella, and Madeline.

Speaking of the Dunn Family, I would love to share some good news with all of you. Michael and Alissa were able to bring Isabella and Madeline home!! Both girls were eating well enough that they got permission to take them home. The latest tests on the girls showed that the tumors have decreased in size...so the medicine is doing its job...more importantly, the Lord is laying his healing hand on these two baby girls! They are scheduled for their next round of chemotherapy for this coming weekend, I believe...in which they will be readmitted to the hospital while it is administered. So, thank the Lord for the blessing of having the family in one house together, but continue to pray for these two baby girls as they continue to fight the cancer inside of them. Continue to read their inspiring and heartfelt journal entries at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dunntwins.

Now for my Blog Candy for a Cause Winner! As everyone commented about posting about my RAK request on their own blogs, I added their names to a list in Excel. Then as I received the cards in the mail, I added the creator's name to my list. With a total of 163 entries, Random.org selected #110: Gabriella Arriaza (her blog is Confessions of a Stamper)!!! Gabriella, I will be contacting you to ensure I have your correct snail mail and you will be getting the great Blog Candy (which grew even more thanks to more donations...need to get a picture before I send it out). I hope that you like all of the goodies!

Once again...Thank you, Thank you for supporting my RAK request! I could not be more grateful!

Halloween - A Little Different

Happy Halloween...a little early! I love this Holiday...not the scary, spooky side, but the cute, fun side! Somehow though I never managed to get my decorations out this year...bad Mommie! Things got away from me and now it just seems not worth the effort. Oh well, I still love everyone else's decorations!

This was the page I did at that weekend scrapbooking event. This was last year's Halloween where Eli dressed up at a Samurai. Hard to see in the pictures, but the hat even had a long braid coming out the back. So cute! My husband and I bought it in Chinatown in July thinking we got a large size. But by the time Halloween got closer, I had to have my Mom fix the hat and jacket so they would fit! Worked out and he looked adorable if I do say so myself.

Since Eli's costume had that cool red dragon embroidered on it, I knew I had to bring the Red color into my layout. So I went with a little different color layout for Halloween. I made the main image of Eli my focal point and layered that image...the More Mustard layer was distressed using some scissors. I used strips of the House image from Bitty Boos Too colored using blender pen and Real Red ink & More Mustard Marker to go under the focal image and tie the other pictures into it.

I really like how it turned out and I love the fact that the alternate colors turned out so nicely.

The Engineering Details: Stamp Sets - Bitty Boos Too; Ink - Real Red, Basic Black, More Mustard Marker; Paper - Real Red, More Mustard, Basic Black, Whisper White, DP from Over the Moon Press; Accessories - "Trick-or-Treat" sentiment bought at Simple Pleasures Scrapbook Store, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch; Supplies - Blender Pen, Sponge

Reminder to get your RAK cards in the mail & a Scrapbook page

Hey all! Just a quick reminder that I need you to get your Dunn Family RAK cards in the mail on Monday!!! I am hoping to have them all by 10/22 so that I can draw for the winner of the blog candy. So if you haven't sent it yet, go out and put it in the mailbox!! Thank you all again for your wonderful support.

Now for another one of my scrapbook pages I did a couple of weekends ago. I really do like how this one turned out. I got the idea for the hand drawn spiders from somewhere in the blog world...sorry I didn't bookmark it, so I don't know where I saw the idea.

Did you notice the pumpkins on the left...they are in stages of getting carved! Probably a small detail that no one but me will notice. Oh well!

I did the scalloped edge below the pictures using the corner rounder with the guard removed.

The saying is coming from a book that my son had gotten (well Grandma got it) from the library..."This is not a Pumpkin". I thought it was cute. And yes, Eli was attempting to eat the raw pumpkin seeds in the bowl! Silly boy!

The Engineering Details: Stamps - Carved & Candlelit, Itty Bitty Boos, Quirky Alphabet Upper & Lower, Alphabet from Wal-Mart; Paper - Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black; Ink - Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark, Pumpkin Pie Marker, Summer Sun Marker; Accessories - Only Orange Eyelets, Dimensionals, Halloween Ribbon from Jo-Ann's; Supplies - Corner Rounder, Crop-A-Dile, Black embossing powder, heat gun

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin!

Two posts in a day! Crazy I know! I have been wanting to post some of the scrapbook pages that I did over the weekend. My friend and I had a great and productive day and a half of scrapbooking.

I really love how this page turned out! It definitely is one of my favorites that I have made. Actually I am pretty excited by all of the pages I did, but this one in particular (you will see the others a little later). They had a little layout contest near the end of the scrapbooking event...best double page layout and best single page layout. I won the Best Single Page layout with this one! If I would have used non-retired stamps, I probably would feel compelled to submit this to a magazine...can you tell I really like how this turned out!

Anyway, I do not have a lot of patterned paper (gasp! for all of you paper people out there), so I created my own with the pumpkin. Stamped it in Night of Navy and then colored in the pumpkins with Watercolor pencils and blender pens. Then I lightly sponged Creamy Caramel over the white spaces. I then attached it to the Old Olive and Certainly Celery layers and "sewed" the hemp twine along the edges. I only have a couple Alphabet sets...need to get a new one...and I am actually learning to like my handwriting.

The Engineering Details: Stamps - Little Layers II (retired), Quirky Alphabet upper and lowercase (retired); Paper - Creamy Caramel, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Whisper White, Night of Navy Pumpkin Pie; Ink - Pumpkin Pie, Night of Navy, Old Olive Marker, Pumpkin Pie Marker; Accessories - Hemp Twine; Supplies - Large Tag Punch, Photo Corner Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch

A Mojo Sketch Challenge (#6) & A Happy Anniversary

Well, my wonderful husband and I have hit our 9th wedding anniversary! I say "hit" because we haven't had a chance to celebrate yet. He actually had to travel to California for work on our anniversary. But since we never celebrate on the actual day of anything, no biggie!

I used Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge that she posts on her blog Poetic Artistry. Julee also is the designer behind the Verve Visual stamps, which by the way I love the two just released! I am trying to figure out if I can get one or both!!

Anyway, I used the couple in the Summer by the Sea...embossed them in Crystal Clear and then bleached the image. I love bleaching these sketch images! I also embossed the canvas background on the bottom part of the card. The You & Me saying comes from the hostess stamp set "So Many Sayings"...which I am becoming very tempted to unmount and cut it so all of the sayings are separate. I like the addition of the Hodgepodge Hardware and the melted organdy ribbon tied to the spiral clip. Ever done that before? It is real easy...just heat the tied ribbon and watch it curl! Nothing too crazy, but I like it.

The Engineering Details: Stamps - Summer by the Sea, Canvas, So Many Sayings; Paper - Night of Navy, Very Vanilla; Ink - Versamark, Night of Navy, Night of Navy Marker; Accessories - Navy Wide Organdy Ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware-Pewter, Crystal Clear Embossing Powder; Supplies - Ticket Corner Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Sponge, Heat Gun