Dunes

I squeezed in one last layout for today. Its a two pager....not crazy about two pagers but I did this for an upcoming sketch at Let's Scrap and that's how the sketch is! I used papers by TPC Studios Mediterranean Summer and the blue crinkly paper is something new I just got called Banana Leaf Paper. Its got a really neat texture but its a pain in the butt to cut! I painted with two colors of blue at the top and bottom of the layout which also qualifies it for Cindy's July Challenge at Sketches For You. That's all I have.....I MUST sleep now! Good thing is I am off at 2 tomorrow and don't go back to work till Monday! Yipppppeee!! Gotta love short weeks!

July 4 ... 5 challenges!!!!

I have a couple hours tonight with NOBODY home....its glorious! I have the radio blasting and I'm singing my heart out (wouldn't dare do that in the presence of anyone else....I'm tone deaf I'm told!!). I decided to work on a couple challenges.....two for Sketches For You -- the first one is to use Red, White and Blue, add ribbon and a couple stars. Check, Check. Check. The second one there was to try a new technique. They gave a link to a tutorial for paper barn stars. Sooooo easy and they look great!!! The third challenge with this layout is the sketch which is a PageMaps sketch for Stuck on You Sketches. And there is a bonus if you use Red, White & Blue!! And of course Frosted Designs has Red, White & Blue as their weekly challenge!! Yay! I have to admit, I've only done ONE 4th of July layout (this one) and have a ton of fireworks pictures still and I've done 3 other Red, White and Blue layouts this month. I'm about tired of the colors and I'm running out of different papers to use!! All paper is by Scenic Route from last year! OK, so I didn't scrap LAST YEAR'S 4th of July yet either! I still have the WRMK Old Glory papers to use so there will still be more Red, White & Blue in my future!  This layout also works for the Summer challenge at Partners In Crafting Crime.  I know July 4 means summer to me!

I really should be working on a baby album that I have half done but I just don't want to! Is it bad that the shower is THIS Saturday and I don't intend to finish the gift until Friday night!!! I did pick up a bouncy seat as a gift in addition to the album so even if I don't finish it I still have a gift. And it would give me an excuse to go get my baby fix after he's born! Hmmm....no, I will try to finish it! But now....something more fun...not sure what yet but I have 3 Design Team projects to get done so maybe one of them will be next.

Camp Scrap

I think I have mentioned that I am taking the Camp Scrap class with May Flaum at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Tonight she sent out an email apologizing for some issues with the chatroom and included a bonus sketch for us. I loved it immediately and stopped what I had started and went straight to work on this. I'm even more excited because these photos are from our 2008 Cruise to St. Thomas, St. Martin and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an extra day in West Palm Beach, Florida. I have about 3-4 more layouts and that entire vacation will be scrapped! That's an accomplishment for me! I have YET to complete an entire album and there has to be 60 layouts at least in that album so I am SO EXCITED to be almost done with it. A few odds and ends pictures and a mini-golf layout and its done!

I used a mix of papers on ths one. Little Yellow Bicycle Boardwalk (the hibiscus paper and the blue strips), Echo Park - A Walk In the Park (yellow), SEI - Silk Road (orange). Flower stickers are Sticko. Butterflies are from Michaels but no manufacturer listed on the packaging! Letters are Basic Grey. The photos are of tropical flowers and palm trees...my two favorite parts of tropical vacations!!

I saw tonight that two of my pals have passed along Blog Awards to me!! How sweet is that? I will post them tomorrow along with the requirements for each one!!! I want to do some blog hopping before I hit the sack tonight!

All That I Am

Phew, what a scorcher of a day. My boss let us out of work 1/2 hour early and I was soooo happy. I knew that I was coming home to some new scrapping goodies from ACOT! When I opened it I remembered I ordered the new Echo Park summer papers!! I LOVE them!! And as luck would have it, just minutes before I was starting this layout, Fia over at Sketches for You posted a color challenge that went PERFECTLY with these papers and the photo I chose of my mom, sister, brother and I circa 1976! All papers and embellies are Echo Park except the red letters which are Basic Grey Junebug. I also used the weekly sketch at Sketch Inspirations because you know I'm not happy if I don't get some mileage out of my layouts! I just couldn't figure out a way to get Mickey Mouse on here for Practical Scrappers! LOL!!

I got some great news today too!! I won the $70 gift certificate to CSN stores from the Sassy Lil Sketches contest!!!! See my original post with the layout HERE. How exciting!!! I can't wait to get it and spend it!!!!!!

OK, its only 8:30!! I think I will go shower and then work on another layout!! Both kids are out and John is snoring on the couch!!

Movie Star

All good things must come to an end, and so this is the end of a great LONG weekend! It's back to work tomorrow morning for 3 days of LONG hours. Because we have off on Fridays and this week had off on Monday as well, we have to make our 35 hours in just 3 days. So that means sitting at work until 5:45pm. Fortunately I only have to do that tomorrow as I put in for time off on Wednesday to leave at 4 and Thursday I will leave at 2. Every year when these long hour weeks creep up I say "Next year I am taking this week off". But I never do! Anyway, crew ran really late tonight and we didn't get home till after 9. John had made ribs on the BBQ so after eating dinner I decided to do ONE more layout before I have to be responsible and work to earn more money for scrapping supplies! LOL!! In keeping with the Disney theme, I decided to scrap these photos of John who was caught at the entrance to MGM Studios by a "director" who cast John as an EXTRA in his film! The photos show John being helped by the director! Fun!!! 

This layout is based on the June 10, 2009 sketch by Cheri O'Neill at Let's Scrap.  All the papers were purchased in Downtown Disney, the glitter letters are actually wooden letters and the stickers are EK Success except the ticket which is Little Yellow Bicycle. Because of the challenge this week at Practical Scrappers being Animation, Cartoons and Characters, I am hoping to get quite a few Disney layouts done this week....we'll see how it goes. Hope everyone has a great week!

Dream Fastpass

While we were in Disney for my 40th birthday we won Dream Fast Passes! We were standing in the elevator on Tower of Terror and the Disney Team Member stopped the elevator and told us that we had all won Dream Fastpasses! It was so exciting and the first of TWO dreams we won on that trip!

This layout is for Brenda's July 5 Sketch Challenge at Sketches For You. I really like how simple the sketch was and it allowed me to use that HUGE Disney Carriage embellishment without it getting lost on the page! The theme also qualifies this layout for the Animation, Cartoon, Character challenge over at Practical Scrappers! Another Double Duty layout and YES....another Disney page in the 2007 trip album. I used papers by Sandylion and EK Success, more of the white chipboard letters I found in my scrap bins, three disney brads from the Eyelet Outlet, a metal "dream" eyelet from Making Memories, the Princess carriage and Wishes Do Come True stickers are EK Success.

Caution....Woman At Work!!

Its HOT out there today!! I bailed on going on a motorcycle ride with John in favor of staying in the AC. I think 10 hours at the beach yesterday did me in and I have no desire to see or feel the sun whatsoever today! So instead, I started cleaning. Got through the living room and kitchen, did some laundry and then walked into my scraproom/kids playroom. The running joke in our house is everytime Mom does a deep cleaning or rearranging in the scrap/playroom, the kids lose a little more of their playroom and mom gains a little more scraproom! So its true! I can't help it!! One of my friends stopped over this morning and she had never been in this room before. She knew I was a scrapbooker but she said this morning that she assumed I had a little stuff....like enough to fit into a carry bag! She almost DIED when she walked into the room. Not only do I HAVE a large carry bag...I have THREE of them and they are all packed with stuff too! John and Yayoi (my friend) laughed at John's comment that my scrapping stuff is like a fungus....it just keeps growing! Ha..ha...very funny!

 But, not to burst their bubbles and take away their joke fodder, I did some rearranging today! I moved the couch that WAS in front of the big window and put that in front of the non-working, waste of space, drives me insane because it takes up needed space fireplace. Got rid of the recliner that WAS in front of the fireplace. It was old and really just in the way anyway. Right now you can see the edge of it next to my desk and in front of my Cutting Station. I have to wait till tomorrow night to really get rid of it....trash day! I still have a lot of sorting to do....I'm a messy scrapper and honestly, after John put together my new IKEA stuff back in April, I just shoved stuff in it rather than sort and organize....but I am really happy to have those plastic bins stacked only ONE high in front of the windows. They contain all my scraps, kits and mini-books, specialty papers, etc. Before they were staked 3 high and I honestly didn't use or even look at the stuff in them because it was too difficult for me to get at anything. The weight on top made the bottom drawers difficult to open and I couldn't reach the top drawers without a chair! So it was easier to just use a new sheet of paper rather than a scrap! So yes, I have expanded. I told Matt that by the time we move (in almost exactly a year from now) they will have no more than a 24" square of carpet in front of the tv as their playroom! HAHAHAH!! He was not amused! So, that's what I've been up to today. Gonna try to get a little scrapping in now before I have to leave to take Susie to Crew and Matt to the mall for a new hat! I cannot stand to look at the sweat lines on the one he's been wearing anymore! And the STINK....ugh....boys! I tried washing it in the dishwasher and it still stinks and still looks awful. So to the mall for a new Yankees hat we go!