Got Sketch?

Hey there-
I just found this blog called Got Sketch? by Valerie Salmon. It's genius! Do you ever get in a creative rut? This site will jump start your scrappy soul! It's a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to try it out when we return from vacation.

We leave for Puerto Rico tomorrow morning! The bags are packed, reservations confirmed, and we just booked a day-long snorkeling trip for Wednesday. Yippee! I hope that Grandma is prepared. These 2 monkeys are a handful but she is energetic too and will surely wear them out.

I'll look forward to sharing our vacation with you when we return! Cheers!
Christy

Happy Memorial Day!

I can hardly believe a week has past since my last post! I've been busy spring-cleaning and getting ready for our vacation to Puerto Rico. I can't wait! We leave on Tuesday morning. Brentt's mom (Beth) comes in tomorrow so it'll be nice to spend the holiday weekend with her before we go.

I'd love to be scrapping more but there's so much to do still. Today, is "Fun Friday" (just a little something the kids and I do on Fridays) and they chose to go to SeaWorld. Great idea except that its not even 60 degrees here today. Yes... San Diego does have bad weather sometimes too. Crazy weather considering earlier this week it was upper 90's.

Anyways, I'll leave you with a patriotic project I made from my ribbon stash:


Have a great Memorial Day weekend if I don't post again this weekend!

Another Clear Post

I just wanted to share another acrylic creation. I made this one for the design team at my LSS and this has been my favorite assignment yet! Its a 12 by 12 wall hanging using an acrylic sheet and the words are acrylic too. You can see through it so it was hard to photograph. (Any tips on photographing acrylic?)



Madeleine looks so sweet in that picture!

Now, I'm off to a grown-up lunch. Tee...hee! No kids! Wahoo! Can you tell I'm a little burned out? 10 days until Puerto Rico!

Clearly a Dream...

I have a new scrappy love....acrylic. I've just started working with it and I think its clearly dreamy. When making an album, you really need to think about what you will be able to see on the backside and on the layers underneath and previous layers.

Take a look at this mini album I made for Spring.




Another thing that is clearly a dream... is our bathroom remodel. Actually, this one might turn out to be a nightmare if Brentt doesn't get it done soon. I know I'll love it when its done but all I wanted was the old wallpaper off and a fresh coat of paint on it. But if you know Brentt, you know he has to do things ALL THE WAY. So now he's ripped up the old tile, is installing new tile flooring, put a fan in, painted the ceiling, ran some new electrical, new base boards, new shelving, and on...and on...and on... Here's the way it looks right now:
UGLY! I'm getting nervous since it needs to be done before Beth arrives next week! I've better sign off so I can find my whip... ;) tee...hee...

I hope all you Mamas had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. Mine was good. Brentt made pancakes in the morning AND cleaned up afterwards. Then, my kids were squirming so much that I finally opened my presents from them. Sam decorated a picture frame with his picture in it and gave me a nice card with his handprint. I'll treasure it! Maddie gave me a lovely flower pot with a paper flower. In the middle of the paper flower was a sweet picture of her. They made both of those gifts at preschool--how lovely!

Oh, but that's not all... Daddy came through for Mother's Day too! Brentt helped the kids fingerpaint ceramic pots and then they planted flowers in the pots. Those along with the new gardening tools they gave me inspired me to work in the garden. I just did some trimming and general maintenance. We're starting to get zucchini and tomatoes out of the garden already so everything needs a bit more TLC now.

Here's a picture of the kids in the garden:


And of course, I'm trying to get things ready for when Beth (My mom-in-law) comes. She'll be staying for 11 days, 6 of which Brentt and I will be on a wonderful, adult-only, vacation in Puerto Rico. Yeah! I'm so excited for the vacation. But I'm also excited to see Beth too. 3000 miles is too far to live from your family. The kids are going to have a great time with Grandma for the week.

Make today a great day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms young and old. This job is the hardest job on earth. And some days, its a thankless job. But this is the one day, that all Mom's should hear a big "Thank You" and "I Love You!".

Here's a little scrappy tribute to my Mama. (I loved using the mirror on this layout!)


Mom, I love you and love how you raised me. You are the strongest, most amazing, and caring person I know. I aspire to be like you in so many ways. Thanks for always being there for me! Happy Mother's Day!

To all you moms out there: Enjoy motherhood, especially on Mother's Day! Both my kiddos are excited to give me their gifts they made at pre-school. I'm excited to see what they made. These are the days...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH!
Today, we're off to Leah's birthday party. I can't believe she's 8 years old already! Happy Birthday Lulu!

Happy Nat'l Scrapbook Day

Ok, I'm a little behind on the blog but Saturday was National Scrapbook Day. (Yep, its a real "holiday"... I did not make this up! ) and I've been busy. I went to my LSS (local scrapbook store) for a 14-hour crop and my dear husband watched the kids all day. (I love you honey!) I got so many fun layouts and projects done. And many other things are half done too. I got to go with my friend Cydne and scrap, juice up on caffeine and margaritas, and hang out with adults. I loved it!

Here are a few new layouts I made:




This is a digital layout that we did as a make and take at the store. Digital scrapbooking is still a bit mysterious to me but this was fun. This is me and Cydne


I also made this fridge magnet:
This is a gorgeous bookmark that would make a great gift along with a new book. Hmmm...

And these were Teacher Appreciation gifts. They are gourmet chocolate bars wrapped in scrap paper with a Thank You tag. I loved using my new 3 inch scallop circle punch. Yep, i know that I'm a geek when I get excited over new tools but it really balances my sanity. Its the little things....

I'm a new fan of...

Ok, I'll confess... My name is Christy and I'm a blogaholic. I've found in the last few months that I absolutely love looking at scrapbooking projects and crafts on people's blogs. The best part of this addiction is that I don't feel guilty at all! There are so many inspiring people out there. I find that I link to stranger's blogs from ones that I "know." Here are some of my favorites:

Danielle Flanders - this girl rocks! She's on the design team for Prima, Pink Paislee, Create my Keepsake, Melissa Frances, and more. Her stuff is colorful and uses so many different mediums.
Ali Edwards --She's a pretty famous scrapbook designer but she seems so down-to-earth. Incredibly talented and keeps things simple.

Janna Wilson -- I took an online class from her and she is awesome! She works for Better Homes and Garden's Scrapbooking etc, Fiskars, and more. Be sure to check her out. She said she's doing another online class in June and I can't wait to see what she dreams up next. Y'know the frames I posted previously? The inspiration was from her.

Heather Bailey - Heather is primarily a fabric designer. Cydne turned me onto her. We just ordered some of her gorgeous fabric. Be on the watch for a new fabric scrapbook soon!

I have so many more but too many to share right now. Who are your favorites? Share with me!