Throwing my hat in..

OK, so American Crafts... :) Everyone knows I LOVE Thickers!!! :)
I love their paper too... and their stickers, "buttons", rub-ons... need I say more.
(Without sounding just foolish. :) )

I had fun creating these:
Me? A card?? No way! :) Love how this one came out (Swings below) from our weekend trip to the "Clinton County Fair".
I was the JUDGE for the scrapbooking catagory! Too funny! It was a blast!
Thank you Collen for asking me! I was even asked back!
I will post a picture later. :)
And sometimes, just sometimes, ya get lucky!
(Hummingbird feeders at my folks.)
Can't wait to scrapbook this!

*OK, I got a few emails as to why I took the below layout off... geez, if I got as many comments as emails! LOL!
But I am thrilled anyone noticed!
I was worried about the title blending in too much-but I guess I will share anyway!
Be Blessed, this soggy rainy day!

Scrapbooks Trends TOOT(S)...

My scrappy friend Tina Halsey-we use to get to work together at Scrapaganza ,but since she is a busy nurse and mom-we don't work together anymore :( ... she submitted to Scrapbook Trends and had a layout picked up for the first time by them (she has been in Memory Makers prior a couple months ago.) ANYWAY, she found out her FIRST layout in Scrapbook Trends was to be the COVER !
SHUT UP!! Right!!

ANYWAY, TOOT TOOT TINA! We are SO proud!!! I LOVE IT!!
We were lucky enough to have the layout displayed in the store before it traveled to Utah!
It is a FABULOUS layout!

And since I forget! July Scrapbook Trends (Tina's is August and it JUST arrived at stores!) had a layout in it by little old me! :) Almost forgot to post! Have to document them here... I still plan on making the blog books someday! :)
This issue (July) and August are available at Scrapaganza! :)
Happy Crafting!

Scrapaganza Favorite Things Crop...

It was a lot of work for everyone at the store-ESPECIALLY Beth and Kelly-but everyone seemed to have the BEST time!
Check out the store blog for fun pictures of the weekend! AND if you were there, there is another prize drawing!

It was great to see Megan Klauer again! YAY!
Not to mention Becky, and Meghan, and Katie, and Ann, and Colleen, and Mindy, and Marion, and Lolly, and Robin, and Michele, and Pat, and Jan, and Kelley, and Teka, and Sara, and Jean, and Pat, and Becky, and.... OH!!!! SO many great scrapper friends.... I'm winded! I wish I had a picture with more of you! But alas, had to work!! (and Brenda, if you are lurking-you HAVE to come visit next year, the weekend of the crop! I missed you there! :) )
We did managed to get this shot with Megan and Mo!! :)
I do NOT look good in pink-but that's OK! :)Hey peeps! (LOL! I am SO not cool enough to pull THAT off!) If you are going to any crops IN ADDITION (of course ;) ) to Scrapaganza's, let me know! I SO need to crop!!!!!!

MAYBE...

...I am getting some MoJo back??
What do YOU do when you get in a creative slump? I think I tried everything... but I am open eared! :)

I'm honored...

...to know one of the finalists to the Cosmo Cricket Design Team call!!

VERY cool Miss Megan Klauer! Hope you make the cut!!
You are in there with the big guys now! WOW!!

Take 'em by storm girl!! :)

One day I will consider handling the rejection enough to even try one of these big ones! You get my hats off for goin' for it!! And out of 300+ entries! WOW! Your already a winner in my book!

My favorite of your Cosmo Layouts (love 'em all, but REALLY was thinking about lifting this one!):

Happy 4th!

OK, so it is the 5th. WAIT, it is 12:15am-so it is the 6th!

Did you have a nice weekend? We did! Saturday was looking pretty drab, but RIGHT when the EZ-Ups went up and the grill was lit, the rain stopped, and the party began! TOO much fun!
The fireworks in our town were rescheduled until tonight, but WOW did the neighbors spend some $ for fireworks! It was quite the show!!
We love the neighborhood, and especially taking over our cul-de-sac!

We really had a great time!
(Just playin' :) )
Why can't I go scoot to check on the kids?? :)
Lots of great food!
(Before)
(After)
We finally came in at around midnight? We even had a fire in one of those "portable" fire pits!

Fireworks today were not all that great. Town must have run out of money. LOL!
But we had another great meal, and enjoyed the unseasonable weather!
Check out Megan multi-tasking. :)
So my scrapbooking challenge-Christmas in July. It is SO hard to scrap Christmas in the middle of the summer!
But I tried it. I think I did OK... to back the joy in red, I didn't want to cut out a bunch of little pieces of paper, so I got out my smallest circle punch... saved bunches of time I think!
Have a great week!

Bad blogger!

Whew...
Is it HOT or WHAT??

This last week, we celebrated "Uncle" George's life... he left this life last week. He was Jerry's (my FIL) cousin and best friend. George was also married to Jerry's sister in-law (so he was also his brother in-law? It gets even more confusing, their family-I'll leave it at that!)
There was a memorial get together at West Lake yesterday... MAN was it hot!!

It is so hard when someone that's loved leaves us! It was apparent how much he was loved! There was laughing, crying, and support... One of his grandchildren even got tattooed in his honor. Ouch! :)
You'll be missed "Uncle" George!
Gavin is at Cub Scout Camp this week! I pray he doesn't melt!! Is he cute or WHAT??
We will be visiting the DeWitt Pool VERY regularly!! Thanks Grandpa Don for THAT glorious present (pool passes for the season!)
I got to see Candi this weekend-and Kim, Candi, Alisa and I cropped!

Just a little sneaky peeky at my blog challenge LO for July! Can you guess what it will be?? :)
Something I did for Pink Sketches and using the new My Mind's Eye available at Scrapaganza!
And one using the new Prima flowers also at Scrapaganza... with Jenni Bowlin (also at Scrapaganza!) and Crate Paper (die cut sheet) from my Studio Calico kit. :)
I am feeling more and more like scrapbooking again!
I might even enter somethings at the state fair... we'll see. :)

Oh, and I wanted to post this...
Gabriel and I went walking one evening, and he insisted on picking flowers for me. I let him. What a treasure!
Hope everyone is doing well!!
Stay cool! (UCK it is TOO hot!!)

TSM and Father's Day

Go check out Megan's post to The Story Matters!

GREAT tutorial about fathers day cards! Great techniques Megan! LOVE the pictures!
And she has me thinking about this Xyron Design Runner!
Anyone have one (besides Megan) that wants to share what they think??

Here is a "you tube" that Megan sent me on request!
In-ter-est-ing! :)

Make Art...

...each day!

OK, I wish I was making SCRAPBOOKING art each day, but I will settle on AT ALL! :)

I LOVE this months club! Kit B was therapy in a kit!
Watercolors and Prima Paintables. I know they have been out for while, but with the materials that were in the kit, I had a great time making this:

Glimmer mist, Stencil, Prima Transparency, cardboard, paints, tulle, dictionary paper flowers, cool letters, rhinestones... THIS was fun to create!

And then I got my Studio Calico kit... I liked the ad/postcard included in my kit so much, I added it to my layout!

Let's just hope I can keep the creativity coming!

Lake Geneva-in Photos! :)

In a nutshell.... :)

Chalk drawings, Downtown (no pictures of that trip???), beach, food (better wear your helmet while you eat around here!), Chocolate Fest (Rides, cowboys, pudding...), beach , love, wine (EEK!), Renaissance Fair, boat races, parks, baby ducks, parade, flags, beach, bike trails, FUN!!!

(SORRY, it's a LONG one!)

And NO editing! I have NO time for that!! :)

THICKERS UPDATE!!!!

NEW STOCK OF THICKERS JUST ROLLED INTO SCRAPAGANZA!!

NEW Fonts, Fonts in several colors... THICKERS, THICKERS, THICKERS!

Get them before they are GONE!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

:)

UPDATE: COMMENT ON THE SCRAPAGANZA BLOG (Thickers entry), and you can WIN a Thickers package of choice!!!

YES, we ARE enablers! :)

You KNOW you are a Thickers addict when...

-You get in the car and RACE to Big Lots when you read they have them for $2 a pack. (OK, that was Mindy, but I did just happen to stop by one day when I was "in the area". :)
-You buy a new pack the MOMENT you run out of a letter on the sheet!!
-You have each font in each color. (Extras in black. And green. :) )
-You totally advertise you have an addiction issue with Thickers. (If you do, STAND PROUD!)
-You work at a scrapbooking store and THEY can't keep up with your addiction!
-You go to a crop, and you take a parred down version of your things, BUT you bring ALL your Thickers-HOW are you to know what color, material or font you'll want??? :)
-You consider having a bin JUST for your Thickers, and another for those "other" stickers.
-You finally are brave enough to count your stash and the number is...


84!!!!!!!!

(In my own defense-I have been buying and using Thickers for over 2 years, get them given to me on occasion from my design teams, get them sometimes in my monthly kit from SC, and if I can get them for .75 cents at the garage sale only missing 3 letters-of COURSE I get those... This is my story and I am sticking to it (Sad story, huh?)!!)
Seriously... is there a pill I can take!
Nah.
:)

Go ahead, count them... If you have less than me, you'll feel good about it (Honey, SHE has more than ME!). If you have more you'll feel good about that too! :)


I am looking at my 1112 pictures I have taken in the last 2 weeks, and I am feeling some creative juice flowing... get back to you on that! :)