Part Two!

More catchup

First off, my sweet niece as promised! She is so tiny and light; it's like holding a baby doll. We're planning to get together again this week; I can't wait to see her again.



This month I am getting a chance to guest for Kate Hadfield. She has such a fun, hand-doodled style and it is perfect for hybrid. I applied for her guest team in April and was so excited to get an email from her asking me to be her guest. I've been busily printing, cutting and gluing up a storm! Here's a card I made with some of her new doodles and a piece of cardboard I ripped off of one of the empty diaper boxes that I had. Of these, there always seems to be an endless supply; how I look forward to the day when I purchase the last pack of diapers!

And this one is for Simon for Father's Day from the boys. The razor is kind of an inside joke... everytime a new razor comes out, I always want to try it out and I'm always asking Simon if he wouldn't like to try a new one, but of course he's totally happy with the one he has! Now I ooh and aah over the new ones just to make him laugh. I'd seen the pattern for this somewhere on my blog travels, but I can't remember exactly where. After I'd creased and folded the cardstock, I measured out each piece that I would need and created a template in photoshop for them. I can't wait to see his face when the boys give it to him!


There's some more fun hybrid-ness coming up the end of this month over at the The Hybrid Chick... it's definitely baby season around The DigiChick with lots of the designers either expecting, or having just delivered their precious bundles of joy. The fun starts June 15, so be sure to stop by for some wonderful project ideas and even door prizes. I'm not quite sure what I'll be making yet, but I'm planning a trip to Michael's tomorrow to see what kind of fun things I can find to alter.



I added one more creative team last month; you can see my little FunkyPlayground Design blinkie over on the side there. They added lots of new designers at the beginning of the month so there's been all kinds of fun products to play with. Here's a couple of pages featuring James...


Another layout of James, this time with Creashen's Candid kit... that boy has the most expressive face! I'll never have to wonder what he's thinking. I know that he gets that from me though; I used to get in trouble without even having to say anything because my mom could see it all written on my face.


One last bit of fun stuff for today... during my blog hopping I stumbled across this blog called Paper Possibilities and loved her gorgeous cards so much, I really wanted to try her method of coloring and blending myself. I've always loved to color, and even now I'll sit and color with the boys (I have my own box of crayons!) So I decided to go on ebay and see if I could find some colored pencils... I put in a bid on a set of 120, but all the other sets were going for more than I had bid and I started thinking that I didn't really need THAT many colored pencils, so I decided to simply purchase a 72 piece set on buy-it-now and not rebid on the higher set. Unfortunately, no one outbid me on the first set, so I'm now the proud owner of 192 colored pencils. I have now sworn off ebay... way too dangerous for someone so indecisive as I am!! Anyway, as I was browsing through Paula's cards, admiring the eye candy, I came across some really fun stamp companies that I'd never heard of. One of them is called Elzybells, and it just so happens that their blog is celebrating it's first anniversary this month with giveaways and a discount on all orders so if you like to stamp, go check it out! I'm loving this set here (which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me!)


Well, we're off to the wedding of my long-time friend's little brother so that's all for me today... I'll try to get some good photos!

Happy scrapping and crafting!

Freestyle Flair

A page for the current HodgePodge challenge which is to scrap a summer memory using bright colors. I mixed up all kinds of goodies for this page, including some stuff I downloaded back when I first discovered digi and was downloading everything in sight, but never got around to using most of it!

You can find the challenge here if you're interested. It closes on Sunday night.

Journaling:
it’s so much fun to watch the two
of you in the pool together! I have
many happy memories of summer days
spent mostly in the water. Grandma
and Grampy’s pool was also the scene
of the infamous Labor Day get-
together when it became obvious to
all that your mommy and daddy liked
each other. Seeing you paddle around
in your little float just makes me
smile, and although I hope that
someday you will learn how to swim,
I get such a kick out of the way
your feet thrash around in an attempt
to propel you forward! I am so thank-
ful that we live close enough to my
parents for you to play in their pool.
June 28, 2008

Part One :)

Overdue
What do I do?
What do I do?
This library book is 42
Years overdue.
I admit that it's mine
But I can't pay the fine--
Should I turn it in
Or hide it again?
What do I do?
What do I do?

Shel Silverstein

This little poem perfectly sums up how I feel about blogging right now... I want to, but it's been so long that it seems a bit overwhelming at the same time. I decided that the best way to catch up was to just post a little bit as I have time over the next couple of days.

Let's see... first happy thing is that I have a new little niece. I'm going to go see her again tomorrow, so I'll be sure to take some photos. She's so sweet and little and all of a sudden my boys seem a lot older and bigger!

I added a couple more CT's this month, and Shen invited me to stay after my guest term was up. I ended up winning the Hodge Podge challenge that I'd entered with her designs, and the kit is now available in both of her shop. I still can't believe how fortunate I am to get to scrap with her stuff! Here's a page I made this month with her Green collab and underneath are a few of her new kits that are just gorgeous!




The other fun thing I did was join the team at The Hybrid Chick blog. You can see the blinkie over on the side there. I feel a bit as if I jumped into water that is way over my head because there are some seriously talented girls on the team, but it's been so fun and the more hybrid I do, the more I am loving the flexibility of using the computer to plan out a project! It's also been fun to actually use some of my physical scrapbooking stash again. In fact, today was my first day to post to the blog and I created a fun little goodie can... click on the photo if you want to go check it out!


Well, the boys are up from their naps now so I'll have to share about my Ebay foibles later

Hodge Podge challenge

I've been watching all of the challenges over at the Hodge Podge blog for a couple of months now, and finally decided to join in the fun and play. This week's challenge was to scrap a page listing 10 simple pleasures and use a white background. Here's what I came up with:



The journaling reads:

As I sit down to make a list of life’s simple pleasures, the first thing
to come to mind is holding Simon’s hand. Maybe it’s because
I associate that with the joy of those early days of our engagement,
or maybe it’s because of the feeling of reassurance his warm, strong
grip provides, or maybe it’s a combination of those things plus lots of
other little factors, but whatever the reasons, there’s nothing like
reaching over and tucking my hand into his.
I’m ashamed to confess that dark chocolate made my list as
number two. Call me shallow, but there’s something so satisfying about
the smooth taste of it in my mouth, and if it has nuts in it, even
better! Right up there with chocolate is a good cup of coffee.
Maybe I should have put that as number two, because I love the
comfort of the smooth taste and the warmth of the mug between
my hands first thing in the morning.
The joys of family also made my list in a variety of ways: sweet, honest
compliments from James, who simply delights in making me
smile, and spontaneous hugs from Peter, whose childlike
affection has a way of lifting my spirits no matter how hard the day
has been. These remind me of the Lord’s daily blessings in my life with
his gracious gift of children. Another blessing is my mom, and her
willingness to speak the truth to me when I need to hear it and her
constant love for me and my family. Perhaps the treasure of this
relationship is close to my heart today because of the providental timing
of her call to encourage me to choose carefully what battles to fight
with the boys, and the anticipation of a family dinner tomorrow night.
It’s not just the sense of taste that provides pleasure in life,
certainly. As I hear the dryer buzzer sound, I am reminded of the
very great pleasure I find in sliding into a bed made with clean,
white linens. I also appreciate the warmth of the sun when I
step outside. I know that in a few months, I’ll be sweating in the heat
and wishing for the winter again, but for right now, I’m thankful for
the gentle spring sun warming the air and causing the plants
to burst into bloom.
Rounding out my list of simple pleasures that I’m enjoying this day are
two that relate to finishing something that I started. The first is the
little finished hybrid album that I can see from my spot at
the kitchen table. Remembering the delight of my boys when I handed it
to them and the number of times we’ve already read it aloud together
gives me incentive to finish the other assorted projects that are
currently cluttering my craft table! Lastly is a simple pleasure that I
haven’t experienced yet today, but certainly plan to... the satisfaction
of a clean kitchen. Although right now the counter is covered in
unwashed dishes, and they’re overflowing out of the sink, I know how
productive I will feel when I get them all washed and put
away, and the sense of accomplishment that a clean
kitchen provides is enough to motivate me to
put away the computer for a while, and
take care of my responsibilities.
April 27, 2009

I used Creashen's Pure paper pack for the background, and her brand new Sprung kit available only in The Digi Files this month. It was a lot of fun to make, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy the journaling process when I'm able to just sit and write as the thoughts occur to me. Anyway, wish me luck!

Checking in...

Tap, tap, tap... Is this thing still on?

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged. I guess that shows what a boring life I lead; I couldn't think of anything to talk about. But this morning, sitting here listening to the melodious sounds of the garbage truck cruising through the neighborhood, hoping that it won't wake up the boys, I felt like writing.

But wait, now I hear the boys stirring in the bedroom, so it looks like my attempt is ill-fated. Maybe I'll be back this afternoon, or maybe it'll be another whole month before I hit that little blogger icon in my browser...

goodbye for now,

me

Doing My Part to Help the Economy

Thanks to us, Sudafed and Kleenex should have their best quarter ever. We've been going through it like crazy around here. Lucky Peter is the only one not sick. I'm hoping that once we all get well again, we'll have developed some kind of immunity to it so that the next time it comes around we won't have to worry about it! Sick children are cranky children, so other than a quick trip to Costco for the essentials (milk, bread, and chocolate muffins ) we've stuck pretty close to home so far this week. After getting home from our shopping trip yesterday, I was carrying the last of the groceries in, and when I got into the kitchen, there was John, with the whole package of muffins (12 big ones) hanging from his mouth. He'd bit into one right through the plastic and was walking around with it dangling from his teeth. Before we left for Costco, I found him sitting in the fireplace. When he saw me, he crawled out and started running across the living room, ashes falling off the seat of his pants behind him. I think he woke up that morning and decided to see how far he could push his mom! Fortunately for both of us, today has been a MUCH better day!!

I haven't had as much time for scrapping the past couple of weeks, but I did finish my hybrid project for Valentine's Day; I made a little mint tin album for Simon with whatever photos of the two of us I could find on my hard drive. It was more work than I thought it was going to be, but fun to put together. The process of trying to find some picture of us made me realize that we don't have too many! Maybe I should hand the camera over to James and have him take some of us. Or maybe not. I'll have to think about that some more. Anyway, here's how the mint tin turned out:














I decided after I had already glued the album in to paint the outside. Next time, I'm definitely doing the painting first!

I'm still having fun guesting for Shen. I made a couple more pages; the first with her fun new set of photo masks, and the second one with Swell Set no. 2. I filled it up with photos from our trip to Seattle last December. It was just the push I needed to sort through the hundreds of photos we took and pick out some of my favorites.












Brittney's new kit this week was just perfect for this photo of my nephew. He's the funniest little kid; always going around with this look on his face like he knows something you don't know. My mom took this picture of him when she was at my sister's house one day; he'd just emptied his milk cup onto his highchair tray and was happily playing in the mess. If you buy the kit this week, you get a fun pack of glitter papers included in your download.












This last page is one of my favorites. The boys had so much fun at the children's museum; I can't wait until we have the opportunity to go back.


























I think one of the best things about this hobby is that it forces me to get out my camera and take pictures otherwise I don't have anything to scrap! Before I loaded everyone in the van for our trip yesterday, I grabbed my camera and took a few snaps of Peter in the front yard. He's just started walking and can take 6 or 7 steps before he loses his balance and falls. (Don't look at his hair; he desperately needs a hair cut!) He's tremendously proud of his new skill, and always looks around to see if anyone's watching him.
























(Frame & elements from the new Sugarplum Paperie collab kit coming to the DigiChick tomorrow.)
Well, I'd better go figure out what to make all these hungry boys for dinner before I find another bite out of the chocolate muffins with a bite out of it!

Photos & More

I can never seem to think of an interesting title...

Anyway, I finally made it through all the photos and picked out some of my favorites.












Just a couple of quick layouts... this one is John from over a year ago. There's just something about it that makes me smile everytime I see it. I don't know if it's the hat, or his sweet little face, or both, but it's one of my favorite photos of him. I used Creashen's Pillowtalk again, and also Torn Bits 1 for the photo.



Yesterday was Peter's first birthday and it's so hard for me to believe that a whole year could have gone by since he was born... wasn't it just a few months ago that we brought him home from the hospital? Where does the time go?




We're going to celebrate on Saturday... I'll be sure to get some photos!