Scrapbooking, cupcakes, and the beach...

First of all, a message to my sweeties!!

And then, a beach favorite photo...

The beach on my birthday! What more could an Iowa girl ask for!!

Then, cupcakes... Red Velvet DOES rock!! $3.50 worth-well, I'm not too sure, but yummy and worth it for my birthday none-the-less!

Here I am, on the phone, listening to my kids sing "Happy Birthday"! Thanks Jerry!

It was the sweetest thing! A birthday moment to remember!!

A fun picture Candi took of me being "crazy beach photo lady". Thanks you!!


Since I was asked (like you could stop me otherwisew!! :) ),

here are my last minute layouts for the booth!

Not bad for last minute?????

Let me tell you, having Kelli Crowe come to your booth and take a picture of one of your layouts... THAT was cool!

And it wasn't even my favorite! Go figure! :)



A sneak peek of one of my suprises for Megan!!

Whatcha think Megan??

WhatEVER will you put inside???? :)

SCRAPBOOK CELEBRITY PHOTOS:

:)

Heidi is too fun! I had to get in out the "Heidi photo a day" kick!

Jeanette From Scrap in Style (founder and Big Sis!)

We met at Round Table Pizza (Really?? We are in CA and we get PIZZA! LOL!) but it was a fun time!!

Donna Downey...

Glitz girl Laura!! Could she BE any sweeter! THESE are great ladies at Glitz Designs!!

Look for their roller stamps, and HUGE rub-ons !! YUM!!!!

Allison from Hambly Screen Prints!!

Scrap in Style Fashionista's Sarah Bowen and Gigi Kennedy

Teresa Collins...

And lastely... one of my favorite layouts at the show! (From the Tim Holtz Ideology booth)

I will try to post more "favorites" later. I also will have to have a "Canon update"

once I can get all the wonderful shots on my Canon (I forgot my USB cord!)

Good night!!!

Keep Scrappin'!!!!

Too much fun-and lots of work!

This day has gone by SO fast! We got to the booth at 8:15am, finished setting up, and I think I might have blinked once or twice, but here it is 10:30 at night!

I met Ali Edwards-SO nice!! I am sincere when I say this! She wasn't just "tolerant", she was genuine! What a wonderful lady!

We (Candi and I) managed to scrapbook 12 layouts in a day yesterday, but I can say I am very happy with the results under pressure!

We had a lot of people to the make and take, and we have had some great feedback about the product.

So many people are SO nice! We are next to Tinkering Ink, and theyh are just great! So helpful and fun!

I am beat, so I am gonna hit the sack! I will try to update soon!! I have more pictures on my Canon, but no card reader or USB to download. :(

Jerry, Gavin, Gabriel, and Cora-and all my friend back home-I LOVE YOU!! :)

We're heeerrreeee!! :) CHA Winter in CA BABY!!

Yep, we're in California!! (check out the horns!)

I am VERY happy it is over 60 degrees here! I'mm happy if it is above 30 degrees lately!

Man I am tired! I am ready for bed-yet we are still waiting for stickers!

Ok, so the printer didn't get them done, and he is sending them with a friend of his... talk about

last minute! We can hardly wait! We got the chunky die cuts though! YAY! We can't wait to get it all... just SIX layouts to do tomorrow. (Six??) :) Oh, and let's not forget the 1200 make and takes we have to cut for... I am REALLY tired now, just thinking about it!!

I miss palm trees! (leave it to me! Always looking for an artsey picture to take!)

and mountians... I miss mountians too...

OFF to CHA-Winter!

Wish me luck! I am excited, but I always miss my kids when I go anywhere.
It is a nice break, but I usually don't need more than a couple hours break-that is usually enough.
But I know I will have fun!

Sue (my wonderful MIL!) got me a digital picture keychain for my birthday (and a new wardrobe practically too! :) ) so I can take some of my favorite pictures with me! WHAT a great idea!
So I will be carrying them with me!

I will try to post some of my favorite things and pictures while I am there!

Please pray for my safety and the safety of my children and husband while I am gone!
It would be very much appreciated!

I don't have the snow storm pictures downloaded yet-so I will post those later.

In the meantime, a layout I did and love! Simple, but sweet.
I love her little toes peeking out from this perspective! :)

Camera update!

I have one!!! YAY!

I got a Canon XTi! I got a GREAT deal!

So, the world remains small... in my search for a camera (read post below) I found out that when I called Camera Corner (our local ma & pa camera store) to see what they had on consignment-well all they had was a camera (Nikon D300) that was so out of my price range... $1300! But what happened is the person that called next, couldn't have been long after me, she bought the D300, and then in my searching online and on ebay-well, having bought the Nikon I passed on (like I had a choice!!) , she was then selling her XTi. Which I just happened to come across! (I saw the "Davenport, IA" in the "where item located" on her auction and thought-"hey, I could save on shipping") ANYWAY, wacko! Every beenon ebay? There are usually about 300+ auctions for the Rebel XTi at any given time... and that I knew of the camera she got which then resulted in her selling the Rebel... OK-I thought it was funny!

I have taken a few shots with my XTi-but I have a LOT to learn!!!

Keep in mind-these are w/o software correction!

My guy doing one of his favorite things... Eve online. :)
(a bit blurry, but I love the light anyway)


Gabriel... so DANG cute!!

Snow and no camera...

OK, so I am sitting at my desk {Jerry's desk} looking out the window-cuz I am pretty lucky and have a good view of the out-of-doors- and right now, at almost 5pm on Thursday, it is one of those REALLY pretty snows. The kind with really big flakes that sometimes the flakes, they get lost on their way down and are kinda floating around, resisting their journey to the ground. Flakes so big they look like a group that got together on the way down... Really pretty.

And. I have no camera to take a picture. Cuz the H9 I mentioned below. It ISN'T awesome in low light after all, and I took it back. But the only way they wouldn't charge me a restocking fee is if I got another camera... Well, I decided to get an SLR. Best Buy on the other hand decided not to carry any more than 4 SLR's. Great. So I got the Nikon D40... cuz it wasn't much more than the H9. I had a sneaking feeling though, that this was not what I was going to want. So I did some research (AGAIN), and come to find out the D40 is limited to the kind of lenses I can get, cuz of the lack of a lens drive on this model. SO I took it, box unopened. {wink} and got a refund.

SO I go everywhere online looking for the BEST deal. (Thanks Dad... I am now the cheapest girl I know. :) ) I decide on the Canon Rebel XTi... but I am NOT paying Best Buys price. (I tried to get them to give me a discount-but they rather see me walk out then give me the 15% off... buh bye. Online I go.)

ANYWAY, I found the best price though a seller on Amazon. Then I find that same seller on Ebay. THEN I find someone with one in Davenport (via ebay) that is selling theirs with 3 lenses for like a STEAL, and so there it is. As soon as the refund from Best Buy clears, I am getting my XTi... I will be using an SLR.

I just hope I am smart enough to figure it out! :)

AND I have a S85 coming to replace my Sony, cuz I love it, cuz it's small, and cuz it was $46 on ebay too...

Gotta love ebay.

Meantime-no picture of the beautiful snow coming down right now. {sigh}

I have to admit. This year we have had some of the prettiest snows. Thanks God!

Catwalk baby!!!

OK-so the link will only last 'til Sunday, but if ya miss it, I'll direct you to the LO...

Scrap in Style TV designers pick their favorites from the gallery each week. This particular week they said they were going to pick the catwalk not just from just anything from the gallery, but specifically things using Ashley Wren's "Rainbow Sushi" line/collection. I just happened to have this line of product, so off I went to create! I did a couple things I liked from the collection. I posted, and one of my projects got picked as a fav. :) It's my second time being picked! Cool!
Thanks Adrienne!
Catwalk here:

http://www.scrapinstyletv.com/portfolio/catwalk.php

If past the date of it's showing, here is the project picked in my portfolio! Stop by and leave a comment! And check out the other LO I did using a transparency! It was fun too! :)

http://www.scrapinstyletv.com/portfolio/view_layout.php?layout_id=66333&user_id=3240

If you haven't joined Scrap in Style TV, you should!! :)
LOTS of inspiration!!

Yummy Vintage find!

(if you came for the sneak peek... look below :) )

I found these AWESOME cards on ebay! OK, they are so cool with
their vintage patina!

I can't wait to scrap the 3 of {hearts} with my 3 kiddos!

Memories Complete Sneak Peak...

OK-so Candi beat me to the punch! :P

I am still letting it sink in! Who knew that a casual comment made at CHA summer 2007 would prompt me to seek out some design work-that eventually {I still can't believe it is real!} resulted
in the completion of my first design work-not designing with product, but actually designing the product itself! I am fortunate to say that Memories Complete took a chance on a rookie, who in turn sucked in another rookie (sorry Candi!! ;) ) and the result? Some pretty cute product!!!

And all in mere weeks!! {wiping brow} :)

If you have seen it before-(dang Candi's quick! LOL!) sorry-but just in case there is someone that hasn't seen it yet, here it is!

Please feel free to comment and leave feedback!

The company decided upon the line themes and colors, we took off from there!
Thanks Memories Complete!! We hope everyone likes it!!

Some of my favorite things about the line?
-the nested circle stickers are for journaling! I can't wait to interlock these circles for some interesting journaling options-or used plain-circles are just too fun on a page!
-label stickers... so many creative things you can do with a label sticker! And ours are in fun colors!
-the fonts... hand made originals!
-the "dingbats"-a new way to use a dingbat! In sticker form! A fun addition to our letters!
-the doodles. Thanks to the Bamboo {Candi just couldn't resist this tool! I am grateful!}
-the big photo corners on the cardstock die sheets! FUN!

A night out.

You just never know where the day will take you!

I work at a LSS, but it is so much more than sales!

Our customers-it's like "Cheers" I always say!

Well, one of the "regulars", Rena Jo Posey gave myself and Kelly a wonderful gift!
They were not going to use their Circa 21 theater tickets, so she offered them to us!!
Opening night of "The Buddy Holly Story"!!
What a treat!
The bands played live, and the performance was WONDERFUL!
And the food was good too!
It was Kelly, myself, Alicia (Scrapaganza's card designer-and my dear friend) and our friend Anne (who will NEVER scrapbook-but appreciates our gifts.)
THANK YOU Rena Jo, for your gift!



After the show, we went to go see my {beautiful} husband play in his new cover band, Madison Ivy.
How was I the lucky one who got to marry this wonderful man! I love you Jer!

A layout I "love"...

Everywhere in scrapbooking, it's about love. So when given the assignment to do "love" layouts,
I came across this picture. It's about love too.

My kids saw their Dad playing this day, probably the first time that they could remember. They has seen him once at a going away party for Cousin Terry, but Cora wasn't here yet, and Gabriel was just too young to remember. AND it was very casual that day. Jerry wasn't dressed the part of anything-his hair wasn't down.

The kids just stared. The just took it in. Awe. Admiration. Excitement. And love.

There was Daddy who they love so, doing this cool thing. Wow.


I have a copy of this on my wall too...
It was time I scrapped it.

Friends, Fellowship, Fun and the sun Falling

I love my moms group! I am so fortunate! We learn and grow with each other, and I am always amazed at the blessings! I learn from those that are so different than myself, and I find that more times than not, we are all so much alike!

After Moms 4 Moms, I "stole" Annie, while Alicia "stole" some girl time! It was a fun day!

And at the end of it, I took my first sunset shots on my new camera!

(too many pictures, has to be another slide show!!)