Overhaul...

Well, after seeing some of the very crafty blog headers out there, I decided to give myself a crash course in digital scapbooking. Where did I go to get some tips? Why, Two Peas In A Bucket of course! There are so any helpful people on the forums there, and so many fabulous scrapbookers willing to share their talents with those of us who have NO CLUE what they are doing.

So, this new header is my VERY FIRST attempt at digital scrapbooking! Not too bad for a newbie if I do say so myself! I had a lot of fun creating it - too much fun actually! It probably won't stay around too long as I am now on a quest for some digital freebies. So if you know of some great sites for freebies, please share.

These papers and elements were all downloaded many months ago from the Shabby Princess website. Cute stuff!

Well I hope to find some time to do something creative this weekend, especially considering it is a long weekend and my husband is here the whole time- yippee!

Have a fabulous evening/weekend!


*ETA...
I am also learning a bit more on how to change some of the HTML code on Blogger to change my template and make things bigger and wider. So you may see some weird things happening here, just a heads up!

Only Papertrey Could Get Me Back To My Blog...

Well, I have certainly been absent from my blog for one reason or another, but I couldn't let another day go by and miss the PTI Blog Hop! I love seeing all the creations that you ladies come up with, and althought this was a tough challenge, I am confident that you will still "knock my socks off."

So our challenge was to alter a CD case in some fashion other than its intended purpose. My inspiration actually came from IKEA. I spent a fabulous weekend with one of my bestest girlfriends who came to visit for the weekend, and boy did we shop literally til we dropped!!! Among the many places we went was IKEA and I came out of there with so many fabulous ideas (I'm in the middle of decorating my daughter's bedroom - can't wait to finish!). Anyway, I was so glad I checked the challenge before I left because otherwise this might not have occured to me. Here is the inspiration piece, but of course I had to liven it up a bit!

The whole thing...
Individual pieces...

Me and my Husband...

My daughter...

And finally, my son...

I will be back in a bit to compile a list of ALL of the supplies! I used quite a few bits and pieces from many, many, many Papertrey sets.

Enjoy the Blog Hop and as always thank you so much for visiting!

**ETA...

What I used:
Paper: Papertrey Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, and Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, “family” from Boards & Beams, “heart” from Wedding Day, “Love” from Mixed Messages, Forever and Cherish from Truly, Madly, Deeply set by Technique Tuesday, Flourish from Whirligigs set by Technique Tuesday
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, Versamagic Dew Drops Cloud White
Accessories: Making Memories Manila acrylic paint, Cuttlebug with heart die and polka dot embossing folder, EK Success small retro flower punch, pearls from Michaels, ribbon Dark Chocolate from PTI , Flowers from Prima and Making Memories, chipboard heart Making Memories, dimensionals, and EK Success Square Punch, and of course CD cases

Gotta Let 'em Fly...

So sorry I haven't been posting the last week or two I should say (after the bee incident). After being forced into a bit of a hiatus with only one hand :-) I have also been super busy and my mind has been a bit bogged down. I finally decided to register my son for preschool, something I wasn't sure I was going to do. My son has severe alergies (some of which are deadly to him) and the thought of him being cared for by someone else, in another place, quite frankly scares the heck out of me. Put it this way, he has been tested for 36 allergens and he is allergic to 34 of them. We joke that he can have a pet cockroach and dust mites would be fine (the only two things that came back negative)! Putting things into perspective, I know it could be worse, but until you know that your child has the ability to make good choices, it's hard to let go. I know now that he is ready, just not so sure I am! But I have to be, and I have to let him go. What good is having the wings if you don't get a chance to try them out, right? So, I finally registered him in preschool.


Boy has that proved to be a difficult task - which school to choose??? We visited 7 schools and quickly narrowed it down to two. One of my friends made me laugh when she said "Just imagine what it will be like when we have to choose a college!" Thank God I have a good 13 years before that journey begins - I need a break! In the end, I decided that a warm, friendly, place with dedicated staff and a well-rounded curriculum was more important than whether or not he can read at the end of the year; after all it is only pre-school :-).

On a lighter note, my parents, sister and nephew are coming to visit in just two days! Yippee! They haven't been here in about a year, and they haven't seen the kids other than in pictures since just after Christmas. It's been getting harder to get up to Pennsylvania to visit and let's face it with the price of gas these days, a bit more expensive too!

I may have some things to share by tomorrow. I am hoping I get some time to myself today, although I have Mom duty with no reprieve until tomorrow night! These are long days... On our agenda today, a trip to the recycling center, Blockbuster, riding our bikes, clearing some debris from the backyard, giving haircuts, cleaning, and a NAP!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be back soon with something pretty (I hope!)

Make today a fabulous day!

Beauty and The BEEst...

In this case, I will start with the "BEEst". Here I am trying to better my life and get back into shape. It is 6:30 AM Tuesday morning. I am "walking, walking, walking" as my friend Kelly C. would say. I am about 1.25 miles into my walk, enjoying some Colbie Caillat on my MP3, and BAMM! out of nowhere I get stung by a BEE. Not only did this bee sting me, but he had the audacity to leave his stinger in my wrist (which by the way I have since learned to scrape out carefully so as not to release anymore venom into your skin - yeah, I didn't do that!!!!!!!!!!). So I have to turn around and walk the 1.25 miles I have already walked to get back home while I am in excruciating pain. I was literally saying to myself "You can do this, it doesn't hurt that bad!" WHATEVER!!!

Now here is the thing, I have been stung by bees before, but they must have been yellow jackets because I have never seen a stinger before. (I have learned a lot about bees this week!) It turns out only honey bees actually leave stingers behind, and as a result of this dastly deed, they die, so you see it really doesn't work out well for either party here :-)

Well, apparently I am allergic to honey bees! My right limb from fingers to elbow has been blown up like the Goodyear Blimp - pretty sight, let me tell ya. Luckily, my reaction this time is considered mild, in other words, I did not go into anaphalactic shock and die!!! (Ok, I know I am being dramatic, but what's life without a little drama?!) However, I am told that this may not be the reaction I get if it happens again; it could actually be much worse. Great now there is something to look forward to...

Well, the swelling is going down, and I am now able to type, but who knows, you might still find a typo or two...


Anyway, I wanted to share some things I made last week for my friend Beverly, whom I met at the PTI Forum. Beverly is a wonderful person, and will go out of her way to do extra special things for people just because. I have never met her in person, and have only corresponded via email and mail, but her words are always kind and thoughtful. She is a very generous spirit, and for that I thank her...


With this card...

And this magnet...


I wanted to remind her that being creative isn't about what other people think of your work, it's about what you think and how you interpret those thoughts. At least that's what this quote says for me. I hope it inspires her to create and share her work! And I hope it inspires you just to share yourself with someone today.

Well, I think that is all for me for now. I was a bit long-winded; I missed my blog!

Have a fabulous Monday!

What I Used:

Thank You Card
Stamps: Studio G Thanks So Much, Impression Obsession Solid Florals Paper: Cream Premade Notecards from Paper Studio?, Chocolate Paper Studio Ink: Versamagic Dew Drops Jumbo Java Accessories: MS Butterfly Trio Punch, Rust seam binding ribbon, scallop scissors, nestabilities

Creativity Magnet
Square Nestabilities, Cuttlebug and dies, Whole Punch, Felt, Wrights Ribbon, Brads Joanns and Making Memories, Computer and Scriptina Font, Fabric Glue, Butons American Crafts, Embroidery Thread