See Fluffy Scrap

My Digital Studio

2011-01-26T23:32:00.003-06:00

I have been playing around with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! I have to say I am really impressed. I am almost done with my Puerto Rico album. But you ever work so much on a project that you just have to take a break? Well that is me. I needed a break from my PR album and just have fun with MDS.

Well this past weekend I went to a Close To My Heart Party and bought a few things. I was looking through their catalog and I noticed a layout that I liked so I used to to make this layout in MDS. I am happy with the look of it, considering it is my first one a la carte. I need to play with it some more.

Paparrazi! Paparrazi!

2011-01-19T18:15:00.006-06:00

Believe it or not I have been busy. A new year, a new...well, uh year. I am kidding. After my trip to Puerto Rico, I have decided that I need to take a class on photography. You see, last year my dear husband bought me a camera...a SLR camera. I wanted one for years and years and years. Then on a whim, he bought it for me. I was so excited...for two days. Then I was just scared of it.
I mean, sure I could shoot in manual mode but what good is an SLR if all you really are going to do is point and shoot? That was my delimma. When I used my P&S, I felt justified in just, well, pointing and shooting. But now I had as SLR and I just felt like a "fake" when I pulled it out to use it. It implied that I knew how to take a picture. And I don't. So instead of embracing my new camera, I just hid it away or asked my hubby to take pictures for me. Thank goodness, he loves photography as much as I do, because he loved taking pictures. But I was feeling left out.

Then I came across this class at TwoPeasinaBucket and it was for free! And you know how I love free. Ok, let me back up. I found the class about a year before I received my SLR (mental note: I really need to give her a name...well at least I have established it's gender). And after I found the class, I kept saying, under my breath, "Ya know, I really want to take this class but I don't have the right equipment...blah blah blah." So I get the camera and never take the class...until now.

I love the gals at 2peas message board. I love all the encouragement and everyone has great questions but most importantly, someone has the answer! So I thought I would share my pictures as I take the class.

Week 1 Aperture setting F-stop. Ok so this is what I remember. The smaller the F stop, the less that is in focus and the larger the F stop, the more that is in focus. But get this, the larger the F stop number the smaller the hole opening. Ok, now my head is spinning.

So the one above was done at a low F stop. My next was middle range so more is in focus.

Now at this point, it isn't about composition or lighting, just playing with your camera. Same as Week 2 (ISO and Shutter Speed). But Iwill post that tomorrow.

We are in the middle of week two so there is still time to join. Click HERE if you want to join. This is the 2peas photography forum.

Baby's First year

2010-12-19T21:11:00.006-06:00

I can't believe I am almost to a resting point. I have done so many projects and really no time to relax and enjoy them. Well now I am R-E-L-A-X-I-N-G.

First up:
My Baby's first year album I took a class several years ago from Scrap-a-faire, hosted by Scrapbooks etc. Jana Wilson was the teacher. I could not find it at SBE site but I did find mention of it at Jana Wilson's website. I loved the class and have made several baby albums for friends and family. The concept is simple. Create a 12 month album that tracks a Baby's first year. And to make it simple, you have three templates that you repeat four times (3x4=12). You end up with twelve two page layouts.

This is the first album that I made for a stranger. A friend, that received one as a gift, requested one for her friend. So this is my first requested album and my first boy album. I am so much into bling, pink and ruffle that I really had to change my thinking to make this album. No matter, I still enjoyed making it.

Above is the front cover. A close up is available on the video below.

Above is just one of the three templates used to create this album. I used the following items to make this album. most were bought at Joann's and on sale.

DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Boy
Core'dinations Cardstock
8x8 Bind It All covers
Binder rings from Office Supply Store
Animal buttons from Michaels
Transparency from Office Supply store
Thread from Joanns
Cartridges: Nursery Tails (Cricut Imagine), Plantin Schoolbook and Gypsy Wanderings
Jolees Hotfix Crystals

Here is the video with a page by page look at the album.

Menus....done

2010-10-30T21:19:00.004-05:00

Can I just say I love my Irock? I bought one a couple of weeks ago because I saw it on the Cricut boards. I love bling so something that lets me add bling quickly and permanently was perfect for me. At the time that I bought it, I was not thinking of the menus that I needed to create for my friends wedding.

But after googling thousands and thousands of pictures of menus and getting the template from my friend...the bling just seemed natural. We had bling and ribbon on the invitations and we are trying to make everything cohesive. I took the pictures with my IPhone because...well because..I am just tired and didn't want to go downstairs and grab my camera. I am in my last week of training for my 60 mile walk and I am just plain tired.

Next up....Programs

Weekly Challenge Circle Blog

2010-10-28T22:04:00.004-05:00

So I have a million things to do before my walk and my trip to Puerto Rico. But I can't keep away from the Weekly Challenges at the Cricut Circle Blog. This week's challenge was to use at least two cuts, must be an original project (not something you made before)and must use some transparent element.

I used a window from Christmas Noel. I cut it in shadow, regular and blackout. I actually cut the transparency in blackout and sandwiched it between two regular cuts. I took this and put it on the shadow, done in black and then pop dotted the whole thing on a white blackout. On the white black out, I used my cuttlebug to give it a look of wallpaper then added a table and chandelier from French Manor. You can't see it (bad placement on my part) but I used yellow stickles on the chandelier for the candles...man I wish you could see it.

I Walk

2010-10-14T23:07:00.005-05:00

I did this layout for the Cricut Circle Blog challenge. I am so excited that they are giving away a Pink Expression with Pink Journey cartridge and an additional four cartridges! Can you believe it?!

So the challenge was to create a new project that used three of six elements (pink, flourishes, scallops, glitter, jewels or ruffles). I knew I wanted to do something about breast cancer because hello....this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am a survivor and this year I am participating in the 6o mile Walk for the Cure in Dallas. So I did a page on why I walk.

I really had to MacGyver this one. Because I waited to the last minute, I had to make do with what I had on hand. And guess what I didn't have on hand? pink ribbon. So I took beige ribbon and used one of my Ranger Dabbers and turned it pink. I really liked how it came out and I loved the added benefit of the ribbon stiffening up.

I aged my paper some by inking the edges with Tim Holtz Distressing inks. I used Tattered Rose on the 7x11 printed paper on the background. I also used it on the journal tag that I made with the Imagine More cartridge.

I used Adirondack Lights Shell Pink Dabber on the embellishment. I then went over it with Adirondack Lights Sandal Dabber.

I felt the glitter paper "for you" was a bit too bright for my page so I spritz it with Tattered Angels Chalkboard in Strawberry Shortcake. However, it just seemed to make it brighter. Oh, well, I was on a time crunch so I stuck with it.

I cut my letters for Walk in Bazzill paper and then distressed it with tattered rose also. I cut it twice and overlapped the layers.

I don't think I have ever scrapbooked this fast in my whole life.

Weekly Challenge 2

2010-10-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

Well it is down to the wire so I am just going to post this and tomorrow I will post more pictures. I used a flourish that I made on my Gypsy, the word walk is the font from Don Juan, For you is from SweetHearts and the journalling tag is from the Imagine More cartridge. I used a pink ribbon for "I" . The for you is done in glitter paper, pink and beige.

Cricut Circle Blog Weekly Challenge

2010-10-03T12:19:00.008-05:00

The Cricut Circle Blog just opened this weekend and Saturday was so exciting! Thank goodness I have an Iphone, so that I could keep up with all the prizes. The blog is open to everyone for a few more days but then it will close to circle members only. But if you interested, click here and you can check it out. The designers are amazing! But they also have two challenges, a Weekly challenge and a Monthly challenge. Here is my entry for the weekly challenge. It is a more decked out version of my calling card for the upcoming Circle event in Houston. I used French Manor to make the chair and the chandelier. I made the cushions for the chair from George and Basic Shapes. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss my white cardstock and it is matted on a 3X3 piece of black cardstock.

I used my Gypsy to make this. I always design first on my G and then use it to cut. I can't wait until my Gypsy can talk to my Imagine. Oh, the conversations they are going to have! Here is what it looks like on my G.

I label all my layers. It just makes it easier. My first layer is my design and this layer has every cut that I need to make. I zoomed it in a bit so that you could see it. If you don't have a G, this is not zoomed to the max. It can get bigger.

Then each layer behind it is an element of the design. Because I am making over 50 calling cards, I crammed as many chandeliers as I could on this page. I cut this on some silver paper that I got at Tuesday Morning. It is American Craft and a pack of 25 sheets of this silver metallic paper were in the pack. It is really thick so I used multicut of 2. My husband thought I was actually cutting metal when he saw my CE cutting. I won't bore you with the other layers, they look pretty much the same.

Have a great week!

A Sneak Peek...Imagine

2010-09-22T22:04:00.003-05:00

Well I did it. I purchased the Imagine at the HSN launch on September 14th. I didn't feel any buyers remorse but at the same time I really couldn't justify buying it. But it is here and I LOVE IT! I love just putting one piece of white paper down on the mat and just cutting multiple colors and patterns...no making sure I have placed my scraps in the right spot so that they cut correctly.

Oh don't get me wrong, I will still use my E, especially since my Gypsy Girl does not work with my Imagine, yet. And I can't cut thick chipboard with my Imagine...it's a printing issue. But I was really excited about one of the carts I received...Best friends. It is the cutest cart ever!

So I used it to cut my twin and used StoryBook to cut the title for my new blog header. I haven't been able to take a proper picture of it. I need to get proper lighting. So until then, here is a sneak peek.

Here comes the...

2010-09-18T22:24:00.005-05:00

Wow has it been this long since I have posted? I have been busy in my other world, running. I am training for a 60 mile walk benefiting breast cancer. I'll post more about that later. But I am here to show you my latest creation: wedding invitations. I have never done them before and I was quite nervous but I think that came out great.

I learned alot about wedding invitations these past few months. I found some great places to get paper. One is The Paper Source and the other is California Paper Goods. I highly recommend both of them. The Paper Source opened a store in Houston so I will probably use them more...however I probably spend more in gas than I would shipping...so maybe I need to rething that idea. I got swatch books from both of them for the future. I plan to make more of these. I don't know for whom but hopefully someone soon. They were fun to make.

I also lined the inner envelopes with paper. Did you know there were A7 and A7.5 envelopes? I didn't until now.

Now I need to figure out how to make menus and programs. I can't wait!

Quick Bag and Card

2010-04-09T06:09:00.005-05:00

I have been on a small hiatus and not doing much traditional scrapbooking. I have been working on wedding invitations for a friend of mine. I finally have my printer working but come Monday, my laptop is going to the doctors. But in the meantime, I thought I would share a small project that I did in thirty minutes.

I bought an egift card online and needed something to use as a gift bag. What better reason is there to use Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge . I made the bag in both black and pattern paper. I thought it would give the bag more stability. I then used my Cropadile to make a small hole in the bag. My butterfly embellishment had a wire knot in the back and required me to be able to put it through the bag so that I could glue it to the bag.

After making this very small bag, I made a very quick card with my Forever Young Cartridge. I have to tell you, that I can't wait to use this card more often. I bought it before I became busy with my other projects but I can't wait to use it on more projects. Believe it or not, the card is only three inches high. I told you it was a small box. I wanted to make sure it fit into the box so I had to make it that small. I don't know if you can see if very clearly but I added some small pearls to her dress. I can't help but put bling on cards, no matter how small the card.

Flight of the Butterfly

2010-02-06T10:17:00.009-06:00

Well the good news is that my laptop seems to be better except I can't print. So I have to take some time to do a whole system restore. Maybe I can do it sometime next week. The bad news is that I have only finished one more page in my baby album. I went to a crop this past weekend but I really never get much done. I talk too much.

So here are the pictures of the second page using the template I created on the Gypsy. Now these templates do not take any welding or fancy stuff on my Gypsy. Which just proves, if you don't feel you have a creative bone in your body, you still have many uses for the Gypsy. You can use it to create templates and then you just plug and play your images. You will notice the similarities between this page and the frog page.

It is pretty scary when you have enough scrapbook stuff in your arsenal that you can create an album. I think all I bought was solid cardstock for this project. I love pearls on pages, flowers and any kind of bling. But remember, I am trying to keep this one simple. So I found these tiny flowers at the back of a flower drawer. They are metallic and I think the colors go well with DCWV paper that I used from the Sweet pack. Oh and by the way, if you also digital scrap, DCVW has digitized their papers! You can get this digital pack here. I am really contemplating buying them. I do a little digital scrapping. I would love to do more.
So most of the Sweet paper will be covered because they are just photo placement holders but I just don't like putting blank boxes but that is just me. I placed a pearl in the middle of each flower. I was going to do small brads but to me, brads take so much longer than self adhesive pearls.

Because the page looked so bare to me, I decided to weld two swirls together from Home Decor cartridge and cut it out and used the negative as a template for the pearl placements for the flight of the butterfly. I had to be careful because sometimes the negative was not wide enough to fit the pearl through the cut so I had to gently pick up the template in one corner to place the pearl.

Because the spacing of the butterflies and the photos was different for each page, I had to make to separate templates. But it helps to have the flip feature on the Gypsy because I just flipped the first one and then did small manipulations to make it conform for the second butterfly. And yup, I did it all on the template I created for this series of pages. I love that I can reuse a template over and over again. Especially on album for a friend. I have a girl, so you can't ever have enough pearls, flowers and gems. So the next, and last, page using this template has crowns. I see lots of colored gems and jewels all over the page. I just need to find the time. This weekend our goal is to paint the guest bedroom, the hallway and the guest bathroom. So it doesn't look like any scrapping will be done this weekend. Oh and I have to finally put up the Christmas decorations that have taken over my dining room.

Tuesday Treats is Open!

2010-02-03T06:41:00.002-06:00

I am so excited! Tuesday Treats is open for business! And this weeks treat is amazing! Mya did a great job on her video and project. If you want to see a pro in action, hop on over to TuesdayTreats. Each Tuesday there will be a new designer sharing their talent.

On a sad note, my laptop is sick. :( I am online daily with tech support for windows vista. But I can't seem to get my print drivers back or do updates. So I am suppose to do an inplace update or something like that, however my DVD drive won't read. So half way through it and I can't do anything more about it until I hear back from tech support. I honestly don't think I am suppose to be on it right now but oh well. I just can't upload any new pics or things until I hear from them. Which is a bummer because I want to share the pages I have completed on my baby album.

As soon as I can figure out how to upload files to share and as soon as laptop is better, I will work on sharing some of my files. I promise.

Baby Album

2010-01-27T10:01:00.013-06:00

Now that multipage cutting works again. I can finally get down to business. When I design an album, in its entirety, I like to use the multipage function so that I can see the flow of the album and make sure it is appealing.

I am making a baby album for a friend of mine. She is not a scrapbooker. There are a few things to consider when making an album for a non-scrapbooker. First remember that the picture comes first. I love tons of embellishments and different size photos. I like being artsy with my personal pages. But for a friends album that I am not sure of their artsy side, I try to keep it simple and not too busy. You also have to remember that they may not also be into photography or have a photo editing software. They probably just use a point and shoot camera, center their subject on the screen and push the button. They probably take horizontal pictures and sometimes when they feel wild, they will turn their camera side ways and get a vertical shot. Now that they have taken their pictures, they will take them to their local Walgreens, CVS or Walmart and print doubles in 4X6 and maybe a 5X7. Oh, and don't forget to ask if there is a theme to their baby room. In this case the theme was princess and the room is done in pastels with focus on pink and purple.

You have to take all this information into consideration when creating an album for this friend. You are limited on photo placement and size (4X6 and 5X7) and most of your photo placements should be horizontal. You also want it to make it as easy for them as possible. They will probably print out their pictures, take some office tape, role it up so that it becomes double sided and place the picture in the album. They will probably write the date in the journal spot. And that is fine. You want to make the album that easy for them. Remember, they are not a scrapbooker and any more than that and they will tuck it away and your album will never be seen again.

This album will consist of 26 12X12 pages. 24 of them will be displayed as a double layout and one will be the title page and one will be the back page. Because I have 26 pages to do and very limited time (the baby was born 10/13/2009..I am already late), I had to do much of designing on the go. (Thank you Gypsy). But I also had to use 3 or 4 basic templates. I am switching up the elements on double layout per template. And the templates will be spaced out so that all the pages don't look the same back to back but the book will look cohesive because the use of a few templates will help the album flow. ( I hope I am making sense.)

This is the title page. I made two pockets with large tags inside them. The pockets were made out of acetate teachers use for overhead projectors. For the life of me I can't think what that is called. It was sewn onto the pattern paper on three sides and down the middle. I then created the tags in my Gypsy using TBBM, StoryBook and GBS. There is one tag for mom and one for dad so that they can journal wishes for their new baby or blessings.

As you can see, the title page has two pages. One is the layout design and page 2 is the page that has the actual cuts. One of the items that didn't make it to the cut mat was the rectangle I used from GBS that served as a placement for the acetate pocket. I had it there so that I could design the tags the right size.

For the first template, I used a 5x7 picture on the left and two 4x6 on the right. I have 4 pages done with this basic template...well I will when I am done. I am currently working on the second page of this template. The frog prince is the theme of this one.

I didn't one to leave the photo placements a bare white spot so I used small patterned paper as place holders, then framed them twice.

I added small decorative frames to the bottom. They are only glued down on three sides so that the picture will be able to slide onto the frame. I also put a little journal spot on the page for mommy to write.

Here is a picture of my Gypsy file. I used a 12X24 inch mat to do my design my double page layout. Each page has a different theme, frog, butterfly, crown, etc. But the last page of my file is the page that I actually do all my cutting and I only place things on the left side of the mat (the first 12 inches). When you do this, you can use a 12X12 to cut your design, even if you used 12X24 mat to design.

Some people like to cut out everything, for the whole album, before they start working on a page. I found that I prefer to work on one double page layout at a time. Designing probably took the longest. I had to create templates that met the criteria of photo sizes, come up with themes for each page, create new designs, etc. Now, all I am doing is cutting, grabbing the coordinating paper then gluing, stamping embossing. Over the next few days I will be adding pictures of the pages as I complete them. My plan is to do a double layout per day. Hopefully I can be done in the next two weeks so that I can give my friend her gift.

Update for Gypsy dated 01/22/2010 work!

2010-01-24T09:07:00.004-06:00

Hallelujah! Can i get an amen? I was on the infamous build 155 for the past few weeks. I missed the update to 158 that caused some new Gypsy owners to freeze up and send their Gypsies back to ProvoCraft. I believe it worked for all the existing users that stayed current on updating their Gypsies. But being stuck with build 155 has been frustrating to say the least.

I was in the middle of designing a 25 page album for a friend when I updated to 155. This album consisted of multiple multipage designs. To my dismay, build 155 broke the multipage feature. And I believe build 158 would have fixed it for me an not froze my G, it was pulled before I had a chance to download it.

So when PC sent out an update on a Friday afternoon, the beginning weekend of CHA, I was hesitant to do it. But someone said it worked for them. So I crossed my fingers and after a long day at a swim meet with my daughter, I decided to do the update. And it seems to have worked. I have not been able to cut a test file because we are at the final day of the swim meet and I won't be home until late this evening. But when I do a cut preview everything looks great. Even the preview of a multipage was bad on 155. My Gypsy is now on build 159. It did not give me the photo application that came with build 158. However, if you are currently on 158 and have the photo app. When you do your update, you will get build 160 and you will still have your photo app.

Carry all your handbooks in your pocket

2010-01-21T05:53:00.000-06:00

Ok, I admit it. I am a techno geek. I love everything electronic. Give me $100.00 and tell me I can either spend it at Best Buy or WhiteHouseBlackMarket and I will run to Best Buy. Tell me I can spend it anywhere and I will run to my local scrapbook store By Design Scrapbook Boutique . But a close second is anything electronic.

So it didn't surprise my husband in October when I found a way to use my IPhone for scrapbooking. After receiving my Gypsy and playing with it for a while, I realized that there are some images that I need the manual to figure out all the layers or features of a certain cartridge. The whole reason I bought the Gypsy is to leave my carts and manuals behind and create on the go.

The it donned on me. I always have my IPhone with me. Figure out a way to put them on the IPhone. So that is what I did. There are two ways to do it.

Option 1
Create a book mark in Safari or create an Icon on your Home Screen for each manual

From your Home screen on your IPhone, hit the safari button
Go to cricut.com
Tap the information tab at top of screen
Tap Cartridge Library Icon
Scroll down to the desired manual (you may need to magnify your screen by using the backward pinch technique on your screen)
Tap View in the handbook column
Once the handbook comes up on your screen, tap the + sign at the bottom of your IPhone
You can choose Bookmark if you want to only add a Bookmark within Safari (very similar to "add to favorites" on your Internet on your computer. OR
You can choose Add to Home Screen
Whichever you choose, another screen will pop up giving you the option to name the bookmark or Home Screen icon.
The cursor will blink in the name field. Just type the name of your Cartridge in that field.
Tap Add at the top right.
If you chose add to Home Screen, your Safari will close and on your IPhone you will see a new icon for that direct link to that web page.
If you chose add Bookmark, when you open Safari, hit the little book icon on the bottom left and a list of bookmarks will come up and just tap the desired bookmark.

This option works for both the Itouch and IPhone. However, you need Internet access to get to the handbooks. So if you have your Itouch and you do not have Internet access you won't be able to see the handbooks. If you have your IPhone, you can do this but depending if you are on the G network, E network or wifi will depend on the speed of which the handbook will load.

Option 2

Use a PDF Reader and download handbooks to your IPhone or Itouch. This option works well for both because you only need Internet access for the initial set up. Once it is set up, you will just open the application on your IPhone and then open the handbook that you want to see.

Make sure both your device (IPhone or Itouch) and your computer are on the same wifi network (If you are doing this at home, more than likely your device is on the same wifi as your computer)
On your computer, Create a folder for the handbooks
Go to your Internet and go to the Cricut Cartridge Library
Download the desired handbooks to your new folder on your computer (To do this, click view on column for handbook, the manual will pull up in PDF format, when the handbook pulls up, tap file on the left side of screen, then 'save as" and find your folder, name your file and then click save.)
On your IPhone, open your PDF Reader application. (if you don't have one, go to the App store and search for PDF Reader and purchase. I think it was 1.99).
When you open your PDF Reader you will see an IP address at the top of the screen. (Get your glasses on because it is small) it will look something like this: http://%20192.168.1.205:2000/
Whatever the IP address is on your home screen of your PDF Reader, type it exactly as it reads on your computer in your Internet address bar.
You computer Internet will go to a screen that says "IPhone Http Server"
Tap the browse button, this will allow you to browse your computer and look for the handbooks you downloaded onto your computer earlier
Once you select the handbook you want to add to your IPhone or Itouch, click the open button on the screen and your computer file screen will close and you will be back at the Internet site for the Http server.
Click upload.
The PDF version of the handbook will miraculously appear on your IPhone or Itcouh within the application.
Repeat steps 8-11 until you have downloaded all the PDFs you want onto your Itouch or IPhone.

Remember, in order for you to get your handbooks onto the PDF reader on IPhone or Itouch, your computer and your device must both me on the Internet via wifi. Here is the link to applications official how to. But once they are on your device, internet access is no longer needed.

I hope this has been helpful. If you are more of a visual learner, let me know and I will do a video on how to do this. On a side note, I am in the process of updating my blog so you may see it change colors or see some wacky stuff. I can only do it in the morning between 4 am and 6 am, so sometimes I may need to leave in the middle of it. So I am asking for forgiveness in advance.

It's all coming up blossoms...cherry blossoms that is

2010-01-16T22:35:00.001-06:00

I was at the mall today and came across a wonderful outfit for my IPhone. Now you are probably wondering why I am blogging about my IPhone on my scrapping blog. Well it is because my IPhone is very much a part of my scrapping world.

You see, I save page sketches to it. I visit blogs and messageboards from it. I even store all my Cricut cartridge manuals on it. So it only stands to reason that it wears an outfit that compliments my Gypsy. When they finished dressing her, I showed the guys at the Zagg kiosk my Gypsy. They were in so much awe. They had no idea what it was but I saw the love in their eyes for her. They fell in love with her for her shear beauty.

If your mall doesn't have a kiosk, you can get them at zagg.com. And while you are at it, see about getting a franchise because they are busy all day long everyday. I have never seen so much action around a kiosk.

I am designing one for my laptop. I found another place to get a skin for it that is customizable. It is skinit.com . I hope to have it before the Houston Swarm in February.

I am back

2010-01-16T00:43:00.000-06:00

Well the holiday season is over and I am sort of back to a normal routine. To say the least, I finally have some breathing room to make videos and show some of the projects I have made or in the process of making.

Many of you may have or are following Christmas with the Cricut, now called Calendar Girls Holidays with the Cricut. This blog is fabulous. Well over the holidays, I believe it was Mandy that did a project with shadow boxes. I simply loved it! I loved it so much that I made them for my brother and sisters. It is a picture taken at my dad's 80th birthday party. It was the first time in 10 years that one of my sisters has been back to Texas. So it was the first time in 10 years that we all got together. What better way to remember it than to give everyone a beautiful frame with a picture of the occasion? And think out of the box, you can do this for Valentine's day also for a loved one.

New Video Updating your Cricut

2009-12-09T00:52:00.000-06:00

I bought a new Babybug in the Pink Tuesday at Custom Crops. I thought I would share with everyone how to update your Cricut.

Another Scraplift from CWTC gals

2009-12-08T01:15:00.001-06:00

The gals from Christmas with the Cricut did this layout a couple of weeks ago. I think they used From my Kitchen cartridge. I used Christmas Cheers and Christmas Noel for mine. I think this is the first time I ever utilized the all the layers of an image. It came out really nice. I did this while at a crop and one of the gals there mentioned the die cuts looked so professional. After the crop, I think she said she wanted an E for Christmas.

I just finished decorating my tree at home. So the foyer is decorated, except the art niche. Most of my cards have been completed. My walkway is decorated. All I have left is to finish the trees I am making from cones and pattern paper, a tree topper for my tree and the vinyl wall art for the fireplace. I should be done by New Years. hee hee

They are done!

2009-12-05T02:40:00.000-06:00

I finally finished the ornaments for my Bible Study group. It feels odd calling them by that description. We have been meeting for 8 months and we really are friends now, that happen to do Bible Study together. I have been truly blessed.

Last year I bought tons of vinyl when I realized you can cut it on the Cricut. I rarely used it but since I bought it after Christmas, it was on clearance. I love these two vinyls, Coarse Brushed Gold and Coarse Brushed Cherry Red. I read the directions that came with the vinyl and it said to cut at blade depth of 6 with pressure of 2 but I found it did not cut deep enough. So I increased the depth to 3 and it was perfect. But you may want to test it first. My blade was not new but I don't think it was ready to be changed.

Now on to the shadow box. I got the ideas from both of the projects from Christmas with the Cricut gals. If you haven't visited their site, run now. It is full of ideas and they have give aways each week.

Merry Birthday to me!

2009-12-01T23:12:00.000-06:00

So today is my birthday. I turned 40 today. wuu huu!! So to celebrate, I decided to start making my gifts to my Bible Study group. SHHHHH! Thank goodness they don't read my blog. We did the balls today from Christmas with the Cricut.

I didn't know how the Pledge works but apparently it comes very tacky and the glitter adheres to the sides of ball in the Pledge. I discover that you have to shake the ball really hard so that the glitter gets all over ball. Otherwise, it becomes a clump at the bottom of the ball. I also made a funnel to guide the glitter to the sides of the ball. I just took a piece of paper and made a cone and taped it. My bottles of glitter had really big tops so I couldn't pout them into the top of the ball as easily as they did on the video.

Now it is time to get my G out and make the initials

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it is the most wonderful time of the year again? I love this time of year. I am reminded of the precious gift that was given to mankind over 2000 years ago. I see it in the lights that decorate the night...because light always penetrates the dark. I hear it in the songs we sing about Ole Saint Nick and Deck the Halls. Yes, I even feel it in the hustle and bustle of gift buying...giving to others because we love them.

So this year, thanks to the gals from Christmas with the Cricut, I am making all my gifts. They inspired me so much that I also made my own Christmas wreath. I went to Joann's and went crazy on their sale but if I budget correctly, I believe I will spend less than $200.00 on 13 great gifts, a huge Christmas wreath with lights and my Christmas cards. Can you believe it? Here is a picture of my buy and the finished wreath.

Over the next few weeks I will show some of the gifts I created and some of the decor I created with my Gypsy and my Cricut. I think I am going to buy two more wreaths (at 9.99 each at Joanns...I feel like I am stealing them) and decorate them using my G, my Cricut and my YourStory.

Gypsy Goodie Bags

2009-11-15T22:08:00.000-06:00

I went to a retreat this weekend called the Winds of the Revolution. By the way, God was there and he said to say, "Hi". I used a white gift bag from Walmart and included the following items:

Prayer Journal (altered composition book)

bag of chocolate (Angel Kisses)
bottle of water (Living Water)
Purse Card
tissues
pen
gum
mints
small bottle of shampoo
small bottle of cleansing gel
disposable razor

I used composition books from Walmart and covered the inside, outside and front and back of each journal. I was a Valentine paper pack that I already had but never used. The candy bag was made with small candy bags from Walmart and I cut off about 3 inches from the top. Then I stapled it at the top. I then cut two circles from the same Valentine pack (one at 5.75 inches and one and 5.25 inches) and glued them together. I punched two holes across from eachother and pulled the ribbon through it and tied knots so that they couldn't be pulled out. I then stamped a sentiment from CDstamps.com and created a border around it with two pieces of cardstock from my scrap stash. I then, used my ATG gun and taped the folded circle over the top of the goodie bag. I created a purse card that is a tri-fold from GBS cartridge, using my Gypsy. I then borrowed an idea of wrapping the water bottle from Tammy with Christmas with a Cricut. She was a guest designer at Hallmark Scrapbook Blog. You can view the video here on how to make it. I made the goodie bag with things us gals normally forget when we go to a weekend retreat.

I have to tell you a little story about the prayer journal. As I was going over ideas in my head about how to decorate the journal, I couldn't make up my mind. I look through all my existing paper pads (you know the ones we all have) and just couldn't make up my mind. I went to stores and nothing stood out. So I decided to pray about it and ask God what He had envisioned. And He told me to make Love Journals. He said we are His Beloved and He wanted us to write to Him all our desires, hopes, dreams, joys, pains, and losses. So I took out a Valentines pack I purchased in January and never used (now I know why) and started to make the books. I knew He said "Love Letters" but when I went to the retreat website, I saw it was called "The Winds of Revolution". It didn't sound like anything to do with Love Letters and I started to doubt the word I heard. But in obedience I did it just like He asked. Well, on Saturday, after the morning a session, they gave us an assignment for the afternoon that we are to do in quietness with just us and God. And they said, "I want you to get out your journals that you brought to take notes and I want you to pen LOVE LETTERS to our Beloved. He has told me that He wants love letters from all of you. I just turned to all the women I made journals and my mouth just dropped open. We all had journals that said "Love Letters." Can I get an amen?

My first blog award!

2009-11-06T16:53:00.000-06:00

I am so excited. I received my first blog award. Thank you Jeannelee! Check out her blog MyTinHairMusings. Ok so here are the rules. I am to answer a few questions with one word and share the award with five fabulous people. And then go to their blog and share the love.

So here is who I want to share with:

Loves to Create-she has the cutest craftroom and does some great crafting

Bug Junkie--the most amazing shape books made with the Cricut

These girls I call the Gypsy Chics...everything you want to know about the Gypsy

TheBugBytes

Myamagoo

Alicia Garcia

So here I go:

Where is your cell phone? couch

Your hair? short

Your mother? Home

Your father? Home

Your favorite food? Menudo

Your dream last night? funny

Your favorite drink? cherry Limeade

Your dream/goal? famous

What room are you in? living room

Your hobby? Studying

Your fear? failing

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy

Where were you last night? Bible Study

Something that you aren't? fashionista

Muffins? Banana Nut

Wish list item? creativity

Where did you grow up? Texas

Last thing you did? drive

What are you wearing? shorts

Your TV? on

Your Pets? 5

Friends? amazing

Your life? joyful

Your mood? bliss

Missing Someone? Stepson

vehicle? Pacifica

Something your not wearing? shoes

Your favorite store?By Design Scrapbook Boutique

Your favorite color? green

When was the last time you laughed? hour

Last time you cried?month

Your best friend? husband

One place that I go to over and over? cricut.com

Facebook? yes

Favorite place to eat? Spanish Flower

Shape Book Video

2009-11-05T17:30:00.000-06:00

I have a three part series on how to create a shape book on your Gypsy. There are so many things going on in my life that it is hard to take a moment to make them. I may have follow up videos on how to complete your project. But right now, the main goal of these videos is to get you started on brainstorming your own shape books.

I have Bible Study tonight so I will get parts one and two uploaded before I leave, however, part three will come after Bible Study. They were really quick so kind of raw but you will get the idea. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will get to hone in on my video skills and produce better videos. I am new at this, so be gentle. :)

Happy Gypsying!

There is an update today!

2009-11-04T17:52:00.000-06:00

Here is a list of the items that were updated today on the Gypsy. I did the update and I am in the process of testing them. Here is what the update offers. I put my notes next to update if I tested it.

Cricut App Version 1.2 Build 0142: 11/04/2009
Added Features:

You can now share files between Cricut® DesignStudio and the Cricut App on your Gypsy™. Yes it works.

The Cricut App now supports multi-page design. Sort of. It will bring all images over to the Gypsy but they are all on one mat. I stand corrected. There is a little plus sign to the left of the mat that allows you to add pages. YEAH!!

By holding down the Zoom button and selecting an image on the keypad, Gypsy will now display a full screen preview of the image so that you can see the details of the image without having to go to the mat screen. Yes it works. You have to go to the keypad, hold the zoom button down, tap the image you want to see full screen (just tap, don't keep your stylus on the screen) the full screen image will appear, tap it to make it go away

The name of the cartridge displayed on the keypad window now shows in non-bolded red text if you do not own the cartridge. If you own the cartridge it shows in bolded dark green. This works. However, in order to see green, you have to tilt your Gypsy just so and tilt your head like this. However, the ones I don't own are in red.***this is on the Keypad screen

On the keypad screen, if you tap and hold an image in the image queue, the cartridge name to which that image belongs will be displayed. Clicking the cartridge name switches the keypad to that cartridge. This works...this is what you do. If you are on your mat and you forget where you got an image, highlight that image (make it blue), hit the keypad, put your stylus on the image on the top bar and hold it there until the name of the cart comes up in a little box, if you want to go to that cartridge, then tap the box, if you don't want to then just tap anywere in the white bar at top

Enhancements:

Welding preview is now faster and shows a progress bar. Yes it is faster and yes, love the progress bar...yeah

Welding preview no longer has to be redrawn when you zoom in or out (you can now enter preview mode and zoom without having to wait each time you zoom). This works.

Dragging large groups on your mat is now faster. OMG yes it is so much faster....yeah.

Load and Unload button on the cutting menu is now smart. If you have a mat loaded in the Cricut machine the Cricut App will only display the "Unload Mat" button. If you do not have a mat loaded it will only display the "Load Mat" button.

Updated keyword database. I tested "pumpkin" it did not use to show Gypsy Wandering Pumpkin and now it does...still may need further testing.

Updated the warranty to expand the warranty coverage form 6 months to 12 months (please read the warranty for details). I will wait until someone else reads. I didn't read the first one.

New firmware for the Cricut machine that enables some of the features above and improves the reliability of cutting.

You can now use the zoom and pan buttons to scroll up and down through your file lists when opening and deleting files. Yes that works.
Fixes

Reported welding issues have been fixed. I have not cut yet but it looks better on my preview

Selection boxes that appear around images and groups have been improved so that the show correctly even when they spill over the edge of the mat. The boxes display while they are being dragged. They do not show when at rest. Yes it works, you don't get a big black box around when you run off the page.

The Cricut machine remembers if you are in mm or inches after you shutdown and then restart. Yes this works.

Designs that contain templates, where the template contains images you don’t have the rights to cut, can now be cut*.
*Note: Previous to this Circut App release, if you attempted to cut a design based on a template containing an image you don’t have the rights to cut (even though the template does not cut) the entire design would not cut.

Gypsy Sync Software (MAC/WIN): 11/04/2009
Added Features:

Add the ability to transfer files to and from your Gypsy. Files that can be transferred are *.gypsy files. Yes this works.

Know Issues:

Skewing/SlantingWe are aware of an issue with Skewing/Slanting. This capability does not function properly when transferring files from Cricut DesignStudio and Gypsy. Files that have Skewing/Slanting in them may not have the same Skewing/Slanting or in some cases the Skewing/Slanting is completely removed. This only happens when transferring files. You can transfer files and then add Skewing/Slanting. This is known issue that we are still working to resolve. Images that have skewing/slanting that are transferred might not cut properly until this issue is resolved.
Multi-page FilesTransferring designs with multiple pages from Cricut DesignStudio to Gypsy is available. You will also be able to create new multi-page designs on your Gypsy and cut them on your Gypsy. When transferring any multi-page design from Gypsy to Cricut DesignStudio the pages will all be combined into one page. This includes designs that were created in Cricut DesignStudio, transferred to Gypsy and then transferred back to Cricut DesignStudio. We recommend that you keep a copy of the original Cricut DesignStudio files when transferring them to the Gypsy and vice versa.
Gypsy Sync (Mac)The installer does not automatically close the old version when installing the new version. You must close the old version when installing the new version.
Gypsy Synch (Windows)The file list does not automatically refresh. You must refresh in order to see the updated file list.
Gypsy HelpThe help files have not been updated since the previous version.
Cricut Firmware Upgrades When Gypsy recognizes that the Cricut firmware needs to be upgraded the Gypsy will not tell you this until you hit the exit button. You can upgrade your Cricut firmware manually by pressing the menu button and selecting Upgrade Cricut.

I have a family to attend so I will be back later with a video of the updates and to test cutting. Off to church.

Updating Cricut Firmware after CDS Update

2009-10-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that when you update CDS, when you try to cut, CDS says you need to update firmware. So you do and guess what? It says to do it again and again and again. Well I hobbled upstairs to my craft room to test this myself and yup, you can't cut.

Fortunately, a Cricut Board member graciously called customer support and wrote down exactly what she needed to do to get her Cricut back up and running. So I did a brief video on doing the following steps:

First thing is to go to your start menu click on my computer click on local disk c:
click on program files click on cricut software
click on cricut design studio click on firmware releases There will be about 5 or so files that come up -
look for two files that say cricut v2_34.enc and cricut v2.benc
For the one labeled cricut v2_34.enc right click and select rename.
What you will do is add an a right after the 4 so it will look like this now cricut v2_34a.enc
click away from that and right click on the next folder labeled cricut v2_34b.enc.
right click and choose rename.
What you do here is only REMOVE the b.
Once you have done this open design studio and update your firmware and then all should be good to go.

I did a short video about me actually doing the steps above. My laptop runs on Vista 64bit.

I also opened up my SCAL2 and I was still able to cut files with it. wuu huu

Man going upstairs was such a tease. I wanted to stay up there and just craft away but alas, I had to come down stairs and sit on the couch and elevate my ankle.

Updates to Gypsy and Design Studio

2009-10-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

I have a new video up about the updates for Design Studio and Gypsy. Very exciting. You can now transfer files between the two. Now I have played with it just a bit more. If you have a multipage DS file and transfer it to Gypsy, when you view your file on the Gypsy, all the cut files will show on one page.

My Youtube name is MuchAdoAboutInking....will change soon but that is what it is for now.

Happy Gypsying!

OMG I did the Gypsy contest! Please vote

2009-10-25T23:37:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I did the challenge. I entered two items into the challenge. After running my first 10K yesterday and being dog tired and injured ankle (I woke up with it swollen and not being able to put weight on it. Then I remember at noon today....the contest. I pulled myself up the stairs to my scraproom and got to work. It was good. I was able to work through more ideas for videos and I learned how to do other things on my Gypsy. On this layout I used Gypsy Wandering, Gypsy font and Joys of the Season.

Please vote for my layout CLICK HERE to vote. Thanks for all you kind words on my videos. I planned to do some this weekend but the 10K kicked my boody and then I spent all day today on the contest.

Oh and if you played in the contest, let me know.

First Video Grouping with Gypsy

2009-10-20T01:54:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone. I have decided to start making Gypsy for Dummies Videos. My first ones are very basic. I am trying to keep them under 6 minutes because I know we are all busy and besides...too much information at once just means more information to forget. LOL So my first video is about Grouping. I hope you like it. I currently have 5 videos and you can see them by clicking them on the right.

Race for the Cure thank you cards

2009-10-14T00:50:00.000-05:00

Did I mention I love my Gypsy? I made this card using my Gypsy and the George and Basic Shapes cartridge. I cannot take the credit for the shape. JenC, a wonderful member of the Cricut forum, created this cut. She did it on Design Studio. Because DS is not compatible with the Gypsy, I had to recreate the cut in my Gypsy. It took a while but it I like it and I learned a lot about my Gypsy. I used paper from Basic Grey's Valentine line from 2009. The ribbon is from Michael's and the beads are from Paper Studio.

If you want the cut file for Design Studio, go to Jen's blog. If you leave her a comment, she will email you the file. She has some really nice cut files. So grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy her blog.

On a side note: I am in the process of recording Gypsy videos for beginners. I should have them edit ted and up by this weekend.

LAST WEEK TO WIN WINTER WOODLAND

2009-10-05T21:07:00.000-05:00

Winter Woodland is ProvoCrafts 100th cartridge. To celebrate they are giving away 100 of this fabulous cartridge. All you have to do is go to the Cricut message board and reply to the "Cricut Celebrates Cartridge #100" in the Cricut chat forum. So go sign up and good luck!

I love my Gypsy

2009-10-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am so in love with my Gypsy! I am an SCAL user and I still love my SCAL. I had to use it this weekend to make my sign for the Race for the Cure board I made for our team. We had a fabulous time. If you want to know more about the race, go to SeeFluffyRun to get more details.

But at the end of Saturday I started to play with my Gypsy. I decided the best way to learn how to use my Gspot was to go to the Design Studio form at Cricut.com and see if I could recreate some of their designs. The above one is from LOLOGRL. She converted the Sizzix Scallop Favor Bag into a Design Studio cut. I then made it into a Gypsy cut. Eventually, you will be able to take DS cut files and convert them to Gypsy and vice versa. But until then I will play with them. Here is LOLOGRL's Blog. Thank you LOLOGRL!!!!

You have got to visit Bug Junkie

2009-09-30T01:17:00.000-05:00

You have to drop by BugJunkie's Blog. She makes the most amazing shape albums with her Cricut and Design Studio. I haven't scrapped in months and she has me going. Not to mention, I bought into the Gypsy. I bought mine at HSN on flex pay and received additional goodies. Okay, back to what I was saying. Bug Junkie's shape books tell a story by themselves. The one she is demoing on her blog is a Halloween Album. Now if you go to her blog, she will tell you the Cricut cartridges she used. I don't have many carts so I had to use SCAL to make my book.

I know, I know. Why did you buy a Gypsy if you don't have a many carts, or go to crops and you have SCAL 1 and 2? I don't know but I do know that I am on a quest to buy carts. Because I spent alot of time searching the Internet looking for free SVG files and finally had to create my own for the haunted house. I spent all day looking for them. As soon as I remember where I got them, I will come back and add the links for SVG files. As for the haunted house, leave me a comment and I will send you a copy of the SCUT file. Or I can send you the whole SCUT file for the book. I DID NOT ORIGINATE THIS BOOK. GO TO BUGJUNKIE AND LOOK AT HER GREAT VIDEO. I AM MERELY TAKING THE ONLINE FREE CLASS AND LEARNING AS I GO.

Not only am I making a great book but I am learning so much about Design Studio. We are about 75-80% done on the book. I'll put up more pictures when I finish.

Happy Scrappin'

It is here at HSN!!! Come get it!!!

2009-09-24T02:33:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it! Todays Special Value at HSN is the Gypsy. You can't buy it yet at retail stores and even if you could, why would you pay full price and get just the Gypsy. I ordered mine at HSN and I can't wait until I get. For 299.99 and 5 flex pays of 59.99 I get the following:

Gypsy
Battery charger
2 preloaded carts (Gypsy font and wanderling)
Don Juan Cartridge (previously exclusive to the Create)
Battery charger
travel sleeve
Traveling case for Gypsy and battery charger (cute pink and black exclusive to HSN)
Car charger

You don't want to miss this. Here is the link.

http://tinyurl.com/cmm2tw

Don't miss out.

I've been on a Journey

2009-09-21T23:19:00.000-05:00

So I have been MIA on my scrapbooking blog. Not because I have been busy making projects. I have been MIA because I was busy starting a new habit, running. And I love running. But before I start scrapping again, I had to establish a strong foundation in my running world. If you want to read about it, check out SeeFuffyRun.

I am excited about my next scrapping project: Race for the Cure. I am running in the Houston Komen Race for the Cure in October. I am an 11 year survivor and one of 18 women in my family that have heard those scary words, "you have breast cancer." I started a team: Team Boob Troop and I want to do a mini album about our run. I can't wait.

But even more exciting is the Gypsy by Provocraft. It is a handheld version of Design Studio that will hold all your cartridges in one device that you can take to any crop and hook to any Cricut and cut to your heart's desire. Here is a picture of it.

It is amazing and HSN will have it as their Daily Special on September 24th at 12:01 am. So for all us Central time gals, that is 11:00 PM on September 23rd.

Here is what it will include:
- Gypsy
- Preloaded Gypsy Font
- Preloaded Gypsy shape card
- black and pink carrying case
- black an dpink skin cover
- car charger
- USB cord
- ac adapter
- stylus
- Don Juan cartrige and overlay

$299.99 $59.99 flex pay with $11.20 for 4 day shipping!

Long time no see

2009-08-06T16:11:00.000-05:00

So I have been MIA for a couple of months. Well, I have been MIA on my scrapbooking blog but my running blog is pretty active. That is why I haven't posted to this one. I had to take a break from scrapping. It was consuming my time and my health. I needed to get healthy and I wasn't going to do it scrapping. Not that I think scrapping is bad, I just needed to step back and get some balance in my life. So I have devoted 10 weeks to a running program. Since then, I have become a runner and ran my first 5K. Once I graduate from my training program, I will start adding scrapping back to my life...hey a mini album about my running.

If you want to know more about my running, vist me at SeeFluffyRun. Meanwhile, my father's 80th birthday is coming up and we are throwing him a party. So I thought I would share the invitation I made for him. My sister sent me a picture of him that I have never seen, so I used it. I used Photoshop elements to change the size and bought an element..darn...I forgot where...and I used it. Enjoy!

Cupcakes....For Real!!

2009-05-28T23:55:00.000-05:00

My daughter turned thirteen last week. I can't believe it. We did not do the cake thing but she wanted to take cupcakes to her 6th period class. So about 11 am, I started to make her cupcakes and I realized, "Yikes!! I don't have any toppers for the cupcakes." So I ran upstairs to my craftroom and die cut some butterflies with my Cuttlebug. I cut 36 to be exact. One was for the base and the other folded and hot glued on top of the other. Twenty five minutes is all it took. Thank goodness because I finished just in time to get the cupcakes to school.

Mini Album of Favorite Things

2009-05-21T18:24:00.000-05:00

I started this mini album in Canada, during Spring Break. I didn't even know what I was going to use it for. I just started making it. Well last week I decided to put my favorite things in there.

I am in love the the Basic Grey Valentines paper. I can't remember the name to save my life. I used three mirrors in the mini album. See if you can spot them.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to pop in and wish all you a Happy Mother's Day and share my mini album I made for my mom. It was inspired by Teachnpea at 2peas website. Somethings to look for:

I cut the Voila Felt strips to mimick the antenna and tail of the butterfly.
I also used "Thanks" Ribbon to tie a hidden picture to a page.
I used Ephemera digital element from PCLayers.com to do all my journaling.
The "Thank You" on the journaling is the font "Albemarle Swash" (the same font used for some journaling stickers from Making Memories Love Notes Tiny Alpha stickers
I aged and distressed my jounalling tags with Tim Holtz Distress ink so that they matched the paper from My Minds Eye, "Out and About"
Distressed Wild Saffron embellishments so that they weren't so bright.

Glass Mermaid

2009-05-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

I just had to share a wonderful little shop I found recently, The Glass Mermaid. It is right here in Seabrook. This is actually their second location. The original was destroyed in Ike. But it is scrumptious. Every time I go in there, my head just spends and I feel drunk. There are just so many beautiful things to see. She has colorful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and I absolutely love chandeliers. She has unique jewelry and what nots. Oh, and if you love all the girly stuff, she has pink rubber cleaning gloves that are trimmed in a faux fur and bling. There is a matching apron with leopard trim and a laundry bag with trim and a beautiful crystal belt. You just have to go in to see all the beauty in this place. It really lives up to its name "Glass Mermaid". It is all blinged out and full of fantasy.

They even have classes and parties in glass mosaic making. More on that later. I plan to have a girls night out at the Glass Mermaid. We will start out with wine and appetizers, move on to glass mosaics then travel five minutes over to Kemah Boardwalk for a nice dinner and to listen to live bands.

Card Candy

2009-05-06T23:20:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a picture of the Card Candy I made for a swap. I am a member of Cricutscraplifters yahoo group. I had so much fun making these. I hope everyone will enjoy them!

Happy National Scrapping Day!

2009-05-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

I love this day. Scrappers around the world unite. Well, I have some plans with the family but I plan to scrap tonight. Enjoy!

One of my favorite gifts

2009-04-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share one of my prized possessions. Years ago my sister made me this church out of a birdhouse. I have moved about eight times since she gave me this church. It always gets a prominent place in my home. It currently sits in my scrapbook room on a bookshelf. It is one of the inspiration pieces of my decor in my scrap area. Every Monday, for the next few weeks, I'll either share an inspiration piece or how I incorporated it in my room. Thanks for stopping by.

Expressions, Yudu and Your Story...OH MY!!!

2009-04-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

I just had to share about this great give away from 225 Cards & Gifts. Ok, here is how you play. It is a blog hop. Click on the magazine above and it on will take you to the starting point. Answer their question on their blog and then hop over to the other 11 blogs and answer their questions. When you are done, you will have visited 12 great blogs and enter 12 times for a chance to win either a Cricut Expression, a Yudu or Your Story. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! So hop over to the first blog and get to it. YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT (MST) ON SUNDAY APRIL 26TH. They will draw the winner on April 28th. Good luck!!

Keychain

2009-04-22T21:09:00.000-05:00

We bought a new car last month and I have been in search of the perfect keychain. I decided that I am going to try to make my own. This is the first attempt. I didn't realize there were so many details to beading. I originally thought of making some kind of picture charm jewelry from Lea Sanders. You have to check out her blog because she has some amazing work on her site. have watched hours of youtube videos about beading. I have been to several stores to look a their beads and key chains. I still have two more picture frame charms to add but I think I am going rethink the design of this one.

I have to add an addendum to my blog entry today. I want to thank Nancy W. for helping me with my blog couture. Check out her blog...she is dripping with creative juices. And her scraproom is to die for. Maybe I can get her to come to my place and help me get my scraproom in order.

Sure Cuts Alot

2009-04-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

I have received some questions regarding Sure Cuts Alot (SCAL) but I don't know how to respond individually so I thought I would respond here in a post. SCAL is a third party software (very similar to Design Studio from Provo Craft) but it allows you to cut any TTF (most fonts are TTF) that you have on your PC or Mac. Yes, unlike Design Studio, SCAL can be used on a Mac.

You can get it here. Craft Edge is the original company that created SCAL but I understand you can get it cheaper from other people. Just google SCAL and I am sure you will find some good deals on it.

But even more exciting is that you can also cut shapes with SCAL. It comes with some basic shapes but you can cut SVG files with it also. If you google SVG and scrapbooking you will see there are many people out there that are gracious enough to create SVG files and share them for free. THere is also a yahoo group for SCAL that gives you more information and file sharing. But be warned the yahoo group is very active and will fill your inbox very quickly.

So to recap:

SCAL is a third party software that allows you to cut any TTF font on your computer and any SVG file. SVG files can be found online by googling for them and you can download more fonts by going to www.dafont.com .

My 15 Seconds!

2009-04-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it!!! I was looking through my May/June Scrapbooks etc. magazine when my name just popped off the page. What the?!?!??!!? And then I realized why. They quoted one of my forum posts at the Scrapbooks etc. site. Eeee gads!!! I am such a dork but this made my day. Heck, it made my week!!

Tax Time

2009-04-15T00:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Tax Day! Kinda funny actually. Sunday we celebrated the day Jesus paid all our debts, then the government asks us to pay them. I guess even our government is too big for Him. I'm kidding. This is what happens when you let me go wild with sugar. Yes...Lent is over and on Sunday morning at 12:01 AM, I attempted to eat some banana cream pie. I say attempted because when I got it home from Krogers, that is a grocery store, it was completely frozen. I knew I had to be up early for church because I was greeting this weekend, so I just went to bed.

By the time I got around to having my sugar rush, a piece of a rabbit shaped coconut cake, I was tired and disappointed. I would upload a picture of my failed attempt of a cute Easter Bunny cake but it looked like a mad crazed evil rabbit. Okay, maybe black frosting should not be used for the eyes, the nose, the whiskers and the crooked smile. He looked more like Heath Ledger as the Joker, than a cute Easter Bunny. I tried to save a step by adding the coconut to the frosting before frosting the cake, so he looked like he had the mumps. Are you getting a visual? Okay, whatever you are seeing in your head, it was scarier.

Sunday is Coming

2009-04-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

I am kinda going off on a personal note here. For the past two years I have been absent from my faith. Don't get me wrong, I knew I was saved, I picked up my Bible every once and a while. I did some Bible studies, but I felt dry. I felt empty and honestly, I didn't center my life around Him. But about four months ago, we began attending church again and did a great study, Starting Point. It was perfect for me and my husband. I needed to renew or rekindle my faith and my husband wanted to understand more. In those short ten weeks, we both grew.

Which is why I am going off topic today. I am reminded about what Good Friday is all about. It isn't about all the great sales or the day off of work. It is about my Saviour being judged, ridiculed, beaten and abandoned by almost everyone who knew Him and loved Him. Only three stayed near. Peter denied Him three times and wasn't there for his final breath. It was this day, over two thousand years ago, that my Saviour was abandoned by everyone, including his Father. In Matthew 27:46 "Jesus cried out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Can you imagine being a believer back then? All the doubt, all the confusion about what was going on around you? You have seen this man perform miracles. You have heard him speak about love and forgiveness and you watched as he did nothing to save himself. I get an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach as I think about what was going through their minds. What now?

So Good Friday is a somber day for me. It is a day of reflection and prayer. It is a day when I review my faith. Were there times in my walk that I felt I had been forsaken and ran? Were there times that I denied him as I turned my head to things said that were unjust or when I heard others judging. Are their times that I past judgement...because I should never past judgement but love with His love.

The good news for me, unlike the disciples on that Friday, I know the rest of the story. I know what happens next. I know that Sunday is Coming!!!

NOT Enjoying the Process

2009-04-10T10:37:00.000-05:00

So I spent money on a background that won't even work on my blog. I have tried emailing, commenting on blog of House of 3 and no one has responded. My advice, don't buy it unless you know HTML and know how to tweak it for your blog.

I might as well been asked to dance naked in public

2009-04-04T14:40:00.000-05:00

So, I am laying in bed at home about 7ish last night thinking I should log into 2peas online crop. It was a chance for me to crop with others in a virtual world which meant no packing or unpacking on my part. As I lie there, my phone rings with a loud obnoxious ring, of my choosing, that says, "I've gotta woman as big as house, yes sir,.." from the movie Igor. I totally love that movie and that song, but when you are in public...well, people just look at you weird. So, I answer the call and it is my best friend in the whole world, hounding me to go out a Wine Bar with her. OK, I envision this place with snobby uppity people talking about things that I nothing about and paying outrageous prices for something that I could get from a box and feel just as drunk. And the idea of going to a yuppie place was just as uncomfortable as someone asking me to dance naked in public. After a few minutes of trying to argue my way out of going, I gave in. You see, she is smarter than me and I am just never going to be able to win a debate against her.

So I get up and get dressed up and we head out to Sonoma, an uppity wine bar off of Kirby and Richmond. It felt so old world, because the lighting was so poor that I could not even read the menu. And well, we happen to choose a seat next to a rowdy bunch. Who knew uppity people could get rowdy?!?!?! But we ordered to flights. If you have never ordered a flight or you don't know much about wine, flights are a good place to start. You get 3 or 4 miniature glasses of wine from a certain family. For example, you can get a flight of reds, ice wines, whites, bubbly...you get the point. You get a small sample of each. I have to say I really enjoyed it. And I found that I do have a place in the wine world....ice wines. Apparently they are made from frozen grapes and they are really sweet. And yes, at first I felt naked but as the night wore on, I felt the wine warm me up and naked wasn't so bad after all.

Updating my look and cupcakes

2009-04-03T00:43:00.000-05:00

OK, call me crazy but I gave up sweets for Lent. Now, I must admit, I am not Catholic but I thought I would join the fast. I think that is why I have become obsessed with paper cupcakes. Don't they look yummy? I made them using my Cricut, Design Studio, Glitter paper and DCWV pattern paper from the Sweet collection. Oh yeah and Robins Nest pebbles. I used my Cuddle Bug to make the swirls on the glitter paper to make it look like frosting. I made some into cupcake shaped cards and others I just made into cupcakes that I could place on a card. Ok, I have a confession, I forgot to hit the "weld" button on design studio so my first ones did not come out like cards, so I just made individual ones with those. They still look great on the front of cards. But you know what I thought about? What if they made scratch and sniff pattern paper? I would so use those on cards. Scratch and sniff chocolate paper or wedding cake flavor...yummy!! Ok, I can't wait for Easter, as Queen Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake!!"

On a side note, this may be difficult to read but I am working on my changing up my blog. I bought some Blog Couture from House of 3 but I can't seem to get it right. I have emailed them and they are going to help me. I can't wait. So again, I apologize, but it will change soon.

I am officially a Fiskateer #4175

2009-03-31T22:28:00.000-05:00

Aren't they beautiful? I received them in the mail the other day from Fiskars. They have my Fiskar number engraved on them. I feel so special.

McGiver and a tip about a giveaway!

2009-03-25T23:24:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that I hate crops? Well I don't hate crops, I just hate packing for them. I don't really pre-plan pages very well so I always forget half of what I want to use and bring the other half that I won't use. I also use my Cricut alot and my laptop and I don't want to lug them around. But I had no choice when it came to my MIL gift. I knew I wanted to use the Basic Grey Valentines line and pearls but beyond that....no clue. I knew what I wanted this to be a hybrid project because I didn't want it to get to bulky. Oh, and did I mention we already had tons of stuff to pack for the trip so I was limited to one small bag for scrapping supplies . So I packed my paper, my tin, my pearls, my whatever that felt thing is that I used, my ATG gun (which by the way was almost empty...I forgot to check before packing it), some liquid adhesive, ruler and pen. I was doing to do the inner pages while in Canada and print them at Walmart. Well my ATG gun ran out and I had to buy some a red stamp but I was able to do the outside in traditional scrapbooking and the accordion portion of the inside. I then created digital layouts that were sized 3" by 4" and had them printed. I added bling to the girls pages.

So what is it? It is a tin that is meant to be kept open and stretched out. All of her children and grandchildren are displayed in the order of where their birthday falls in a calendar year. Inside the circles on each page is the actual birthday. I got the idea when my dad made a comment to me last year that it is my job to call him a couple of weeks before my daughter's birthday so that he can buy her card. He also said the same thing about my brother's birthday and my sisters. So I am going to make one for him. But since my MIL birthday came first, I did hers first. I used great digital paper from PCLAYERS. It is called Sushi from Tinkering Ink. I used a Rhonna Farrer Circles from Twopeasinabucket.

TIP: Nancy from LovestoCreate is giving away some fancy schmancy mirrors. Check them out and check out her blog. Her craft room is really coming together. I may have to recruit her to do mine.

Just a layout

2009-03-24T20:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the bad cropping but I seem to be so busy lately. Taking a week off, when you are your business, can really put you behind. I did this layout at a Saturday crop with my Meetup group. I have so many projects to upload but I just don't have time. I have one more layout to do tonight for the SBE challenge. Gotta run.

This is how we do it in Texas

2009-03-23T22:40:00.000-05:00

Ok, it looks so much worse than it really is. I went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo before leaving to Canada and caught this great picture. They have an event for 4-6 year olds. They ride a sheep. Don't worry, they are geared up with padding and helmets. I happen to get this picture. The sheep is not over the boy but it looks like it. I just had to share it.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

We have been in Canada for over a week and it is good to be home. We love it up there but sometimes you just want to run around in your underwear. Not literally,but you get the idea.
I now have over 2000 pictures to go through and figure out which ones I want to blog about, which ones I want to share on facebook, which ones I want to print and which ones I want to scrap. I have a huge task ahead of me.

On a different note, someone asked how I made my Nike+ pouch. Here is the link for the gal who put up great instructions. I cannot sew but this was so easy. Look at my previous blog tagged Nike+ and you can see what I am talking about.

It is late and I have to get some rest. Bye for now.

My Prize

2009-03-05T22:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my prize is already here. Doesn't it look yummy? I received 7 pieces of Noteworthy paper, Thickers and Noteworthy ribbon. I can't wait to use it!

I won! I won!

2009-02-26T19:18:00.000-06:00

I entered a Scrapbooks etc. Page Planner challenge and I won in a random drawing. I am gonna get a whole bunch of goodies in the mail. I am so excited. I'll post them as soon as I get them. I am so excited. Did I say that already? This is a weekly challenge, come join the fun.

Hello Monday

2009-02-23T21:27:00.000-06:00

This is my digital version of the Page Planner Challenge from Scrapbooks etc. Page Planner challenge. I really enjoyed doing this one.

Thank God its Friday

2009-02-20T08:50:00.000-06:00

Good Morning, Glory! I just had to share the surprise gift my husband gave me on Saturday. It is a Bromeliad. Gosh I hope I spelled that correctly because I am going to have to google it so that I will know how to care for it. I have to admit, receiving this gift was a shameful moment for me. I woke up early on Saturday for the Revolve Tour, but I was running late. I ran from our room to the bonus room to wake up the girls. I then grumbled at my husband for not waking me up earlier. ( I am deaf in one ear so sometimes I don't hear the alarm.) About 20 minutes into my putting on make up, my daughter comes into my bedroom and says, "Did you see the kitchen?" and I just rolled my eyes. I thought someone had made a mess. But to my surprise, I saw this big beautiful plant, a vase with roses and a card. I didn't have my glasses on earlier so I didn't see them the first time and I have to admit I was taking the time to see things but just do things.

Ever do that? Not take time to take in the scenery but just do the task? I feel that way sometimes when I am trying to capture a moment on camera but not taking time to actually enjoy the experience.

Happy Hump Day!

2009-02-18T13:56:00.000-06:00

Ok I have really got to remember to upload in the opposite order of how I want the pictures to be displayed on my blog. This page is a little out of my element. I am doing a Scraplift Challenge at Scrapbook etc. This is a scraplift from the Scrapbooks etc. Page Planner Bookazine. The original is on page 62, You are Beautiful, by Becky Novacek. I did it last night...really late. But I knew I would not have time today to do it because we have a track meet tonight and this past weekend I had the Revolve Tour. I used my Cricut on this one. I used Celebrations Cartridge to make the cake and the "its a party". I used pop dots to raise up certain elements. Oh and I used my Cricut to cut the squares in the pattern paper because it was easier, for me, to use the Center point button and make sure I cut out exactly what I wanted without ruining the rest of the pattern paper. There is more I will probably add because there are these cute puppies with party hats on the Celebrations Cartridge that I want to use.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

I used a CuttleBug embossing strip to emboss the back of the envelopes.
I used my Cricut and the Celebrations Cartridge to make the scallops and circles for the cards.
Happy Valentines Day! One of my daughters favorite teachers, Mrs. Muzslay, is taking a group of girls to the Revolve Tour. It is a wonderful annual conference that comes to town that is geared for Tweens and Teenage girls. It shares the message of True Love Waits, What guys think and who you are in Christ. But it is done in a manner that is energetic, meaningful and age appropriate. Imagine being in an area with over 20 thousand girls, all worshipping and praising His name. There are four adults going also. But I didn't know the exact number of girls going until yesterday afternoon. We are taking nine girls.
So yesterday evening I ran around Hobby Lobby, Joanns and Walmart getting all the goodies. I used DCWV, All Dressed Up, stack to alter the composition books. They are not typically what I would use but I think the girls like all the black/pink/silver motif. I then went to Joanns and picked up the CuttleBug embossing folder for the trim and some cardstock. At Walmart I got the bags and the candy. I didn't start making anything until 11PM last night. I am tired.

So I spent last night...I mean all night, altering nine composition books, making nine cards and nine goodie bags. I used these fabulous stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps. They are called Sweet Jesus . (Thank you Aimeslee for sharing this company with me.) If you click the hyperlink, you will recognize the cards and the Hershey Kisses bags. They are perfect little stamps that can be used all year long. I even used one on the journal, "Nuggets of Wisdom". I had planned to also make a smaller books that they can carry in their purse as a reminder of this weekend. But it is almost 9 am and I need some sleep before tonight's Revolve Tour.

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Single, married, Significant Other... no matter what, we are not alone on Valentines Day. There is One that always loves us.

The Bionic Woman

2009-02-12T01:07:00.000-06:00

Do you remember the Bionic Woman ? Jamie Summers almost dies in a sky diving accident but the government saves her and makes her a spy. She has all these bionic parts. Well that is how I feel when I run. Here is my ritual. I strap on my Polar A5 chest band to track my heart rate. I strap to my left wrist, the Polar A5 watch that displays my heart rate, calories burned and minutes in the "zone". I then proceed to put my Nike+ sensor into my home made sensor holder on my left shoe. Then I get my Ipod Nano and place the remote sensor into the jack so that it can record my pace and my distance and give me verbal prompts like, "you have just completed twenty minutes" or "half way point, only 30 minutes to go." and finally "congratulations you just have completed your work out of 45 minutes, x amount of distance, average pace x". (you can see my recent distance and time in my Nike+ tag on the right.

So by the time I finish hooking up to all my gadgets...and yes if you have been reading my earlier blog posts, I have an ITouch and I just upgraded to an IPhone. But alas, while the ITouch, Gen 2, is compatible with the Nike+, the IPhone is not....go figure. Ok, where was I? Oh yes, by the time I hook up all my gadgets, I feel like the Bionic Woman. So when I work out I have to pull out my old Ipod Nano and use it to work out. My husband has my Itouch and I want him to feel like it is his, 100%. He always settles for less and for once I want him to have it all.

My wish, an Iphone that is compatible with Nike+ that is also compatible with a chest band to get precise reading of my average heart rate and total calories burned. Is that asking for too much? I only want to carry around one gadget. Oh, and if it could do the dishes and clean the kitty litter, well then I will divorce my husband and marry it. Just kidding.

SBE Weekly Challenge

2009-02-11T00:34:00.000-06:00

Scrapbooks Etc., my favorite magazine, has started a weekly scrapbook challenge that I am enjoying. I try to do a digital and a traditional version of each sketch. My goal this year is to do scrap 10 pages per month, digital or traditional. I have a love for both. By the way, the digital one took about as long to do as the traditional one. Not because of its complexity, but because my limited skills in PSE5. Which is one reason I love the challenge because it will encourage me to work on my PSE5 skills if I keep up my personal goal of perfecting my digital skills.

I would like to thank the Academy....

2009-02-08T23:58:00.000-06:00

I am so excited! My blog buddy, Aimeslee gave me two awards. You like me, you really like me! Ok so here is the deal. Once I accept the award, you are to tell five of your addictions and pass the award to five others. Gosh, I hope I have that right. Well here it goes.
My Addictions
1) Scrapbooking
2) Chocolate
3) Singing Mamma Mia out of tune
4) The Girls Next Door
5) Italian Wedding Cake

I would like to share this award with

Lea Sanders-- Her work is beautiful.
Nancy Wyatt--another great crafter. Can't wait to see her finished room.
Life as Lou--I am a voyer for this one...I love her work and take a peek every once and a while.
Leah Fung--Great videos with her scrapping gal pals
Christine--She makes great videos...if you have an Ipod you can subscribe to her podcasts

Check tham all out. They are great gals with this gift for crafting. You won't be disappointed.

So busy

2009-01-27T22:53:00.000-06:00

So believe it or not, I have been creating. But between working, finding a new church, working out and creating, blogging has gone to the wayside. It is 11PM and after this I hit the treadmill for 45 minutes. But I am enjoying my new scrap space. The girls at 2peas really helped me reorganize it. I uploaded pics of my how I had things set up and they gave me great advice.

So the bottom picture is a collage of some of my recent creations. And the first picture is the plan I have for scrapping more this year. I really struggle with scrapping. If I am not doing a mini-album then I feel lost and with no direction. I seem to get lost in picking just a few pictures to print and share in an album and journaling all that I want to journal. Well in the July issue of Scrapbooks Etc. they did an article about doing a hybrid album that has both layouts and 4x6 pictures and 4x6 journalling spots for those occasions that you want to journal but don't want to create a whole layout. I had forgotten about the article until recently people started talking about Project 365. So I am doing a digital version of Project 365 and traditional version of a hybrid LO. It has been so freeing and exciting.

The first thing I did was pick out pictures from December that I wanted to print and share. I uploaded them to Walmart and printed them. I then divided them into occasions ( I have many occasions for December) and topics. Then I placed them all in the 12X12 pages that had 4X6 pockets. Once they were in order, I took a post it note and decided what LO's I wanted to do. As I started a layout, I either used the 4x6 pictures I had or I printed them on my own printer at the desired size. Once the layout is complete, I place it in a 12x12 protector in the general area of the 4x6 pockets that are also about that event. It probably sounds confusing but it works for me. I have already completed 7 layouts and 3 cards for 2009. This is far above what I did last year by this time.

On a side note I had a fallout with Sprint and we broke up. So I moved to AT&T and bought an IPhone. I was excited to have one piece of technology that served as my music manager and my phone.....NOT. While Nike+ works with the ITouch. It does not work with the IPhone. So now I am stuck like chuck with two pieces of equipment again, if I want Nike+ to track my progress.

Valentines Card

2009-01-20T01:16:00.000-06:00

I did this card for a class at TwoPeas. It is a monthly class that challenges you to make three cards from three different designs. I used my Cricut to cut the hearts and my Cuttlebug to emboss the base of the card and the elements. Since I was trying to stay pretty much with monotones, I added dimension by using different embossing folders and different materials. I wanted my hearts to stand out more so I used Metallic Champagne acrylic paint from Walmart to paint them.

One great tip about die cutting, whether it is with a manual or electrical machine, buy tons of heavy white cardstock and acrylic paints. Your color choices are limitless with the right acrylic paints. Use them straight out of the bottle or mix them to create your own personal color. Then you won't have to worry if you have the right color cardstock for a particular embellishment. I am a very late night scrapper so I can't just get up and drive down to my LSS for the perfect color cardstock. So I buy several paints and I try to get them in different finishes. For example, this paint has a metallic finish to it. I also have a flat Champagne color that I like to use. I use to be an Acryli[c paint snob and just buy Making Memories but I have started to use brands like Folk Art and generic. Don't get me wrong, the Making Memories bottles are so much more attractive and love the way they come in color groups but sometimes I can't find the color I want or another brand is on sale, so I just go for it.

My Sewing Project

2009-01-16T08:11:00.000-06:00

So, I started walking again. I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I use Nike+ to motivate me. I really enjoy it. I didn't want to buy a new pair of shoes because frankly, I like my old ones. Sure they are scruffy looking but they are comfortable. So inorder to use my old shoes with new technology, I had to make a tight fitting pouch for the sensor. Google, my dear friend, showed me a place where I could learn to do such a thing. Now, I own a sewing machine because I sew on paper. So this sewing on material was a whole new thing for me. I even had to create my own pattern. I have to admit, I enjoyed it. However, I found a new use for my Cricut. I can create a pattern in SCAL and use the Cricut to cut out the pattern onto the material. Can I just say I love my Cricut?

I have been tagged!

2009-01-13T23:48:00.000-06:00

I have been tagged by Nancy Tovar Wyatt. What a small world. I knew her and her sister when we were in Junior High and High School. She found me on 2peas.

So here are the rules:
When you are tagged you have to share 6 things about yourself.
You mention the person that tagged you and give a link to their blog.
You choose six other people to tag.
You go to those six other people's blogs and let them know they have been tagged.

Here we go:
1) I am a Child of the Most High God and feel blessed each day.
2) I own a medical billing company.
3) I have a wonderful husband and wonderful children.
4) There are more animals living in my house than people (3 dogs and 2 cats).
5) I am allergic animals.
6) I crave ice cream on cold days.

So who will I tag? Wow so many great bloggers. There are so many blogs that I follow and I truly love them all. Some I quietly visit each day. I try to spend my first hour at work just visiting blogs....Good thing I am the boss. LOL

Drum roll please

Lea Sanders She is such a creative person. I met her at Scrapafaire. It was an online Scrapping event hosted by Scrapbooks etc. Simply love her.
Shar Another gifted scrapbooker that I met at Scrapafaire.
Aimeslee Met her on 2peas board. And low and behold she is practically a neighbor in the real world. :)
Idzibitsy Great work and great SVG files. I love seeing her work.
Heather Found her and loved her work.
Jennifer McGruire You have to see her craft room. I simply love it.

A New Year

2009-01-13T00:11:00.000-06:00

I am so behind in blogging so I thought I was just stop by for a moment. Wow! So many things going on in my life. I got a new IPod for Christmas and as you can see by my mini, I am using the Nike+. If you are the time that nees motivation, NikePlus can help. I can track my miles, minutes, calories...all by using a sensor and my Itouch. It automatically records everything and when I sync to my PC, it uploads to NikePlus. The only downside for me is that in my excitement I didn't want to take the time to read the handbook on it and my first two workouts were lost because I pressed the wrong button. Oh well.

I didn't buy the Nike+ shoes but instead made my own pouch. I took pics but I have to upload them....later.

Second Layout 365

2009-01-04T03:20:00.000-06:00

Ok, I admit it. I got up in the must have, must do the 365 project from Becky Higgins and CK. I was one of the ones trying to get the album and had the system crash. But after trying for a while, I decided to create my own digi template and do the project anyway. I am not finished with the first week and I have one blank slot left for journaling (the blue rectangle) but I am working on it. I'll probably tweak my template over the next few weeks. I am still learning how to digi scrap so over the next few weeks I may pick up a few more short cuts. But doing this digi is really helping me learn more about digital scrapping and it allows me to flex my digi skills.

If they decide to sell the Project 365 again, I may buy it for expecting friends and newlyweds. Can you imagine being able to have such a detailed journal of your baby's first year or your first year of marriage. Years later when you look back at it, you will appreciate all the little details you may have forgotten. So I am doing my digitally....for now. But if they begin selling the kits again, I may just have to buy it anyway.

First Layout of the Year

2009-01-04T01:49:00.000-06:00

I promised myself that I would do more scrapbooking this year than I did last year but that I would use my existing stash. {note to self: do a page on resolutions} I decided this year that I wasn't going to be bogged down with scrapping vs printing pictures. Ever since I started scrapping and taking digital picture, I have struggled with printing and sharing pictures. I love albums and I love going through them. I love sharing them with family when they come over. But since I started scrapping, I have felt limited when it comes to printing pictures. If I print it then I have to scrap it. But if I don't print it, then it stays forever hidden on my PC.

Well I read an article in SBE about scrapping/photo albums. The idea is to print your pictures and put them in a 12X12 album in refill pages that are divided into 4x6 slots. Then you scrap your favorite pictures from a certain time period or event and place them in protective sheets within the same album. So I printed about 115 pictures for December and I am going to scrap a few events (sister’s graduation, brother’s birthday, husband’s birthday, making tamales, Christmas Day and my birthday). So I am doing 7 LO’s and will use about 15 pictures but an additional 100 will be shared. I am excited about scrapping this way.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-02T00:38:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!

In my family, my grandmother made Manuelos [mahn-wel-os] each New Years. We loved to eat them. My mother made them for me when I was a child and now that I have a daughter, I make them for her. So last night at midnight, I made them. We also celebrated a duel birthday. Max and Buster, two of my animals in our zoo, turned three years old. I have plenty of events to scrap.

Almost Done!

2009-01-01T00:27:00.000-06:00

Months ago I mentioned a project that I was doing that took the joy out of scrapbooking for me. I had to put it down, along with all other scrapbooking projects, for many months. Well I finally came back to scrapping and I finally came back to this project. I used the baby dresses I made with my CE on the cover. All I need to do is bind it together.

Baby Dresses

2008-12-31T00:36:00.000-06:00

Lately, I feel so out of sorts so I decided to make a to do list for scrapping. One of my items was to learn how to use inkscape to make my own SVG files. If you don't know what SVG files are or what you can do with them, look it up on Wikipedia. If you don't want to know THAT much about it, then just understand that you can use SVG files in SCAL to cut images. Now, my only limitation is my mind when it comes to what my Cricut can cut.

This one is a simple baby dress. I dressed it up with stickles and ribbon. When I can figure out how to share files ( better put it on my "to do" list). I'll start sharing my SVG files.

Mamma- Mia

2008-12-30T14:12:00.000-06:00

Can I just say I was wrong? My husband is 11 years my senior and while I am a child of the 80's, he is a child of the 70's. So there has always been this struggle in our car...which IPod to hook up. When he wins, he plays ABBA. I cannot stand ABBA. To me, it has a real disco sound to it. I don't like disco.

Years ago in Canada I saw a billboard for Mamma Mia and I wanted to go until.....I found it was based on ABBA songs. Yuck. But on the Eve of Christmas Eve, I begrudging ling agreed to rent the movie. One week later...I have been converted!!

I HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE 7 TIMES AND I HAVE LISTENED TO THE SOUNDTRACK COUNTLESS TIMES!!! If you haven't seen the movie....go right now and get it....go...go...I'll wait.

It is so upbeat and Meryl Streep is amazing. My only downside is Colin Firth. I love that man. I love him for the characters he has played..Darcy in Pride and Predjudice. The amount of love that oozed from his presence around Elizabeth is amazing. And I loved him in Bridget Jones Diary. I imagine him looking at me that way. So I was a bit perturbed when they took my perfect man and made him gay. Not because of social issues but because.....hey leave someone perfect for us women.

Get the movie...you won't regret it.

Christmas Cards...finally

2008-12-16T23:41:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it is the 16th and I am just finishing my cards. Well I am not finished. I have to wait for the stickles to dry, then I have to attach these to the front of the cards. Hopefully, I will be able to do this tomorrow.
I have to thank Tim Holtz for his Twelve days of Christmas. I took one of the ideas for the tags and just made a bigger version. I then expanded it to a stamp that I bought last year and never used. On the card with the Virgin Mary, I used a technique I learned at 2Peas to make the heart stand out. I had to look all over town to find the blending tool from Tim Holtz. Now, onto homemade decorations.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2008-12-10T23:59:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it snowed? I can't. The first time I saw snow I was three years old. I didn't see it again until I was 19. Then after that, I was 34. Now again it is snowing. Just to give you an idea of how south I am, you see that leaning tree in my front yard? Well it is from Hurricane Ike. I live less than a 1/4 mile from the water...the bay. We had so much fun in the snow. We made snow balls, watched our dogs try to eat it and just enjoyed it. There were kids outside with their parents. What a magnificent sight for everyone.

Almost Famous

2008-12-03T23:56:00.000-06:00

Ok, I have a confession. Ever since I was a little girl, I had this small thought in my head. "If I do it well enough, they will put me on TV." I don't know when it started but it continues to this day. I have to say it takes a lot of energy to live up to that thought. For instance, the other day I was driving down the street and I stopped at red light. I was the first in line and I made sure I stayed behind the white line in front of our lane. I turned on my right signal, looked both ways and proceeded slowly forward and to the right. I wanted to make the perfect turn. Because in my mind, if I do this well, someone also waiting for light will work for company that makes those movies you see in driving school. You know the ones. All the actors look straight out of the seventies in their huge vehicles. Each looking straight into the camera as they slowly approach the stop light. Their window is down and their arm is dangling out the window and resting on the side of the car. As they slowly come to a complete stop, they turn towards the camera and say "Remember, stop slowly and gracefully and behind the white line. Leave room for pedestrians to travel safely across the street." I mean who talks like that besides the people in educational videos.
Ok where was I? Oh yeah, so as I make my turn, this person that works for an educational video maker, flags me to pull over and says, "Hey, I loved the way you made that turn. It was perfect and we would like to use in our next video. Do you think you would be interested?" And I would just say in disbelief, "Gosh, Mister, I would love to be in your video. I never thought this would happen to me. You can count on me." And I realize, I am beginning to sound like the others in those videos but I don't care because I AM GOING TO BE ON FILM!!!!

Well that is how my mind works. One day I shared that intimate thought process with a friend of mine. While in a specialty shop, she found this miniature wine glass and the tag says "Almost Famous". She immediately thought of me. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was me also. I couldn't wait to get it home and to fill it with beads from Robins Nest.

Site of the Day A few months ago I read about a website Wordle.net. It is a great place to create your own backrounds. It takes whatever text you place into it's engine and it will create a background for you that uses your text. In this example, I took the text from the story above and entered it into Wordle and this is what it created. Pretty cool, huh?

Wall Art with Cricut Expression

2008-12-02T21:18:00.000-06:00

I couldn't wait to play with my new Cricut Expression the other day. I have dreamed about making wall art with it since it came out. Now that I finally had an Expression, I bought some Vinyl from Walmart. It comes in an array of colors. However, Walmart only had black. I also bought some transfer paper. The transfer paper allows you to manage your vinyl once you cut it so that you can place it on your wall or wherever you choose. It makes applying your vinyl to your wall as easy as rubbing a rub on. The vinyl comes in 3 sheets to a package and each sheet is 12X24. The transfer tape comes 2 sheets to a package and each sheet is 12x24. I know, I know, I thought the same thing. Why not give the same quantity of both since they go hand and hand? Sorta like hot dogs and hot dog buns, they don't come in same quantities. I'm convinced it is a conspiracy to make us buy more of each. :)

I used my SCAL and used three different fonts. I used the font Curlz MT for the word "My"at 2 inches, the font Pristina for "Reservations", at 4 inches, and for the rest of the quote was done in the font Angelina at 2 inches. You should have these fonts on your computer already. If you don't then you can go to dafont and download pretty much any font your heart desires. Remember, SCAL, the program I used to create my word art, only can read True Type Font, dingbats and SVG files. The majority of fonts are TTF so you shouldn't have any problems. However, think outside the box. When you get to dafont.com you will notice that some of the fonts don't print letters but rather symbols or silhouettes. For example if you go to Christmas Fonts you will notice that some fonts are snowflakes, Santa Claus or reindeer. So you can prett much cut anything! I can't see enough about SCAL. I'll do a formal training on it sometime soon. But once you download your font, you need to install it to your PC. The easiest way to do this is to go to your support and help and type in "add font" or "install font" and it will take you step by step on how to install a new font. Trust me you won't regret it.

However, the flourish came from my new cartridge Home Decor that is a new exclusive cartridge for the Walmart Bundle for Black Friday. Some Walmarts may have some Cricut Expressions left from Black Friday so if you want to buy a CE and you like this swirl, then check your local Walmart or wait for someone to put it up on Ebay. I am keeping mine. I used the "fit to page" feature for the flourish.

My husband laughed as I started to place the Vinyl letters on the transfer tape as I explained what I wanted him to do with it. His originally thought the texture on our walls would prohibit the Vinyl from sticking. But it didn't. He was so impressed that he wanted me to create more wall art for the living room, the dining room, the foyer, the breakfast room, the bathroom and stairwell. My house will become one big novel.

They say its your birthday, It's my birthday too!

2008-12-02T01:05:00.000-06:00

Well today, or actually yesterday was my birthday. Where does the time go? I was just looking at the clock and it was 9pm. Now it is 1 in the morning. Well I had to try to take a picture of the sky last night. If you missed it, it was amazing. The Crescent moon, Venus and Jupiter were very close in the sky and for brief moment they were in a straight alignment. No big deal you say? Well if you missed it, you probably will never see it. The next time this will happen is 2052. This was a very rare and beautiful moment.

I would like to think God did it for me. :) Well, it could happen. Today is my birhtday. Which brings me to my second picture, the birthday card. I had so much fun making it. I used my new Cricut Expression. I love this machine! I bought it on Black Friday for only $199.00 Can you believe it? It came with two amazing carts, Plantin SchoolBook and Home Decor which is a brand new shape cartridge that debuted in the Walmart Black Friday Bundle. And to boot, if you purchase a Cricut Expression between Oct 15 and December 15, you can mail off your receipt and rebate form for two additional cartridges for free! All you pay is $7.95,for shipping and handling. Pinch me because I must be dreaming. It does take up a bit more room than my original Baby Bug but it is awesome. I made this card using my new Expression and my Celebrations Cartridge. I am looking for an SVG format of the cupcake so that I can weld two cupcakes together and they become the base of the card. I haven't found one that I like. I don't have Design Studio or I would use it to weld the ones from Celebration cart. But I can't justify in my head to buy DS when I already own SCAL. (Sure Cuts Alot).
If you haven't heard of SCAL or used it then you are in for a big eye opener. It allows you to cut all True Type Fonts on your computer, ding bats and SVG files. You can get Inkscape for free and create your own SVG files or you can Google for free ones. There are tons of free ones on the web.

25 Days and Stories in hand

2008-11-26T00:07:00.000-06:00

So I finished my Stories in Hand journal inspiration and my 25 Days journal. I was excited to find that I had ribbon that matched the Stories in Hand paper and I loved altering the dividers with personal touches. I have looked but I can't find the user that inspired the pics on the individual tabs. I thought it was a cute idea.

What a week

2008-11-23T23:31:00.000-06:00

I have never wanted a week to be over so much as I wanted this one. It started out with a root canal and ended with a kitty diagnosed with Hepatic Lipidosis and two puppies with expensive yearly appointments. With every turn I was spending over $500.00.

Not to mention my daughters data was due for Science Fair and we had the added stress of finishing building her light box and hauling the huge monstrosity up to the school so she could test other students.

But on a good note. My daughter was in her first competitive swim meet and she did very well. It was at a high school. We had to leave school early on Friday to make it to the meet on time. We took a friend of hers with us. I had never been to a meet, so I was a little nervous about what to expect. When we arrived at the school, the halls were filled with folding canvas chairs, blankets for the kids to lie on between events and coolers filled with snacks and drinks. The school kept the pool area warm but the rest of the school was pretty cool. So the kids tried to bundle up. But I was impressed at how quickly they went through the heats. There were about 900 kids there and it was over in about 2 and half hours. The parents of the girl we took were so helpful at explaining things to me. My husband could not go because our cat was so sick and required hourly force feeding to get his energy up. But I was very proud of my daughter and how well she did.

On Saturday I finished to projects that I had been working on for about a week or two. I finished my 25 day album for Christmas and Stories in Hand project. I'll post pictures later. Truth be known, I am too tird and lazy to go downstairs to get the camera and upload my pictures.

What a week

2008-11-23T23:27:00.000-06:00

Monday dentist appointment 60.00
Tuesday yearly house insurance due 966.00
Wednesday...root canal 780.00
Dad's hair products 168.00
Get kitty out of vet office...2 day stay 287.00
Sunday Take puppies for vaccinations 240.00

These are the unexpected expenses for the week...well the insurance was not unexpected but the rest were. My wallet is floating away.

Christmas Cards

2008-11-09T23:53:00.000-06:00

I can't believe Christmas time is here. It seems like just yesterday I was complaining it was too hot outside to celebrate 4th of July. And yet, here it is...a chilly 50 degrees outside in Seabrook. Better get the coats out and the fireplace going.

And now I am off to scraplift Christmas cards from 2peas.

Another Scraplift..Getting digi with it

2008-10-31T00:28:00.000-05:00

Still going through my ScrapTrends Magazine and trying to recreate traditional scrapbook pages using my digital supplies. The original layout for this page comes from Ginger Williams. It was a Baby page. So I scrapped about one of my babies. This layout took me about an hour. Well more like 2 and 1/2 but I can't count the snack breaks, folding towels and greeting my hubby after a night of playing pool. (He is number one in his league!) I am so loving the two kits I got from PCLayers.com. They are 7 gypsies kits. I have been a traditional scrapbooker longer than a digi one. So I am familiar with 7 gypsies and my mind can wrap around it alot quicker. I know, it's just a mental thing but it works for me. Oh by the way, Faith Sisters is doing a 9 week project on the real meaning of Christmas. At the end of the 9 weeks, you will have a nice book to share with your family. And if you are into digi scrapping there is a free download each week that contains materials you can use to tell the story. Or you can use other digi materials or even just traditional scrap the project. I think I am going to try to do both. I'll try to upload the pages as I go along. However, they are on week 3, so I am already behind. I know what I am going to be doing this weekend.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

2008-10-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

Practice, practice, practice. I totally love the women at 2peas. They have helped me so much when it comes to digital scrapbooking. On this layout I learned a new technique on how to cut paper. I know, I know, it seems simple when you are a traditional scrapper. But I couldn't figure it out when it came to digi. Oh and I learned about the Wacom Bamboo Fun from those gals. I used it to color in the buds on the branch. They also taught me how to make a text box and how to space my journaling...thank you Sande and your great videos on 2peas. I scraplifted the LO from Scrapbook Trends. It is a layout done by Angela Hancock. My hope is to be able to create digi layouts that look traditional. I know it is possible...so here I go....practice, practice, practice.

Tattoo

2008-10-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

So I did a quick page with a hilarious picture that my brother sent me. For Halloween, his is Tattoo from Fantasy Island. He is on his knees and I can't seem to stop laughing. When we were just kids, my Uncle Joe use to call my brother "Tattoo". Now 30 years later he is living up to the name. Too funny.

Women of Faith

2008-10-28T00:50:00.000-05:00

I did this page today. It will probably be my intro page for a mini album that I am doing digi. I went to the Women of Faith conference this weekend in Houston. And it was fabulous. Sometimes we need a boost. We need a moment energize our batteries and thank our maker for making us who we are and we are uniquely and wonderfully made. Hallelujah! More pages to come. I am trying a new kit I got from PCLayers. It is a great website that I discovered when looking through my Scrapbook Trends Magazine. They offer digi versions of paper lines like 7 gypsies. Can you believe it? Anyway, the price is right for their kits and they are amazing kits. Enjoy!

A cross and a prayer

2008-10-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt helpless in the time of someone else’s need? I have. I see their pain and their struggles. I see their hardships and I am left feeling poor. And I don’t mean poor in a monetary way but I feel like I am lacking. Well….maybe poor in a monetary way can be a part of it, sometimes.

What do you give the person that has just lost their home? After days of wondering how your home faired in the storm, you come home only to discover your home is wet from top to bottom. There is mold growing on the walls, the furniture and even the carpet. And the smell is something you can’t even imagine. You realize you were left with nothing. You only have what you packed in your car during the evacuation and any money you may have in the bank… which may be little or much. But what do you give them? Where do you start? Do you give them a blow up bed?....how do they blow it up? Where do they place it to sleep? Okay, well now they need a tent. And food, don’t forget food, but they no longer have a refrigerator so you need to get them either a refrigerator or a cooler, but then they need a lot more money to eat out since they can’t keep anything cool. Oh, and don’t forget cooking utensils, clothes (and a way to clean them). Do you see my point? How it can seem overwhelming. And if you don’t have much to give, then what can you do?

And the stress is unreal. Kids are going to school in borrowed clothes or donated clothes. They may not fit right or even be within dress code. So now they are singled out because those who lost nothing are wearing their normal uniform. And well those that didn’t do well…well they wear what ever sorta fits. And they are scared. Mom and dad are worried about when the claim adjuster is going to come and how are they going to pay the mortgage on a home that is no longer livable? FEMA helps but it is not perfect and where it stops or lacks, as a child, you look to your parents for strength. And no amount of books or videos can prepare you for this but you do the best you can and you move forward. Toys are scarce and little Sally and little Juan are bored. Sally misses her doll that you promised would be there when you came back from the evacuation. And Juan complains that his XBOX is gone….what is worse, he doesn’t complain about his XBOX. He just wants to be in his room again. He wants to sleep in his own bed. Even then I feel poor because no words I say to them will make their lives normal again. Nothing I will say will ease them and make the fear go away.

But God is so good. And someone listened to Him and was faithful. Someone, and I don’t know who, but someone went from house to house of those that were devastated and said they were sorry for their loss and handed them a cross and told them they are praying for them. And for those that didn’t answer the knock at the door, or perhaps there was no door to knock, a note was left and a cross. Sometimes we don’t see the fruits of our labor but God does. You see, a little boy that sits next to my daughter in one of her classes, wears one of these crosses everyday. When his parents finally let him come back to see his home, someone had been by and left one of those notes and left a cross on a necklace. The note said they were sorry for their loss and they were praying for them and that God is here and He will guide them.

So when he sees his parents worrying or when he thinks of his old home and all the changes he has had in his life, he holds the cross in his hand and knows he is safe and all will be well again. A prayer and a promise from a stranger not seen has brought peace and faith to one young man. God is good.

So when you don’t think you count or you think you can’t help….pray. Let God work through you and when you do, He will do more than what you could have ever done on your own.

A little something something

2008-10-13T00:22:00.000-05:00

So after taking my class at 2peas, I created this layout. If you take the first 3 classes of Sande's you will recognized the format. I didn't use any of the items she used. I have plenty of free and paid for digi elements to last me for awhile. Sorry, 2peas. I know that is probably their intention when putting free classes out there. You see they list the items used in the class and you can purchase them. Well I have bought plenty digi things from 2peas, so I don't feel guilty. Now I know what to do with them. Actually, I do love the basic paper pack of the tutorial and I have some nice templates that I bought from 2peas that would go nicely with this paper. But I think I will hold off for awhile.

I used a brush from Rhonna, paper and additional elements from Carrie Stevens' Spontaneous Delight kit. Can you say FREE at Shabby Princess. If you have never tried digi, this is a great place to get complete kits for free. But restrain yourself. You can go crazy and overwhelm yourself. Grab a kit and play with it.

Getting Diggi with it

2008-10-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

So life has somewhat come back to normal. The weather was amazing this weekend. We did the yard and cleaned the house and I took some free digiscrap classes at 2peas . If you ever wanted to try digi, go there and check out Sande Kriegers free video tutorials. And if you want to try her photo editing class then head over to Scrapbooks etc. Fast Foto Fixes . It isn't free but it is well worth it. I took it during Scrap-a-faire in November 2007...has it almost been a year...time flies. Anyway, I took all the classes back then when they offered a all inclusive pass for $100.00. Anyway, I took all my PDFs and sent them to Kinko's online . I had them printed and bound. I have to tell you. I refer to those classes all the time, especially the one on fast foto fixes.

OK, so while I write this, I am watching Starter Wife, and I have to say I am liking the show. I typically don't like the main girl, you know the one from Will and Grace, but I like her character on this one. And I have decided...if I could be anything, yes I would want to be an Observational Journalist, like Sex in the City or Dan in real life. But alas I lead a boring life and I don't have the patience to spend time writing and rewriting an article....just check out my blog...how often do I update it? But if they paid me money...well..perhaps then I could devote "time" to it.

First Day Back

2008-09-29T17:26:00.000-05:00

Well there is so much going on mind that I don't even know where to begin. We came back on Thursday of last week. After two weeks at my brothers home, we were home sick. So we spent Thursday afternoon packing up and came home. The lights weren't on yet and the weather wasn't cool but we were home. And just to prove He is God, as soon as we started our generator and began to settle in, he turns on the power. We unplugged the generator and rejoiced in the light.

We stood outside with many of our neighbors. All of us with stories or rumors of went on during the storm. Stories of police told to stay during the storm. Their escape to the second floor of our city hall as the waters rose in the first floor during the storm. Stories that our small passed a reform a few months ago that does not allow drop off spots to be set up in our city. But a storm hit and rules couldn't be broken so citizens set up drop off spots in their yards so that those who needed help could get it.

My daughter started school today. She came home with an upset stomach...nerves. As I signed her out, I saw a long list of other kids that left. The nurse that many kids are just nervous. Kids were in class talking about who lost their complete home, who was flooded, who was homeless and who came out okay. In class they filled out forms on where their family stands so that the school could get an idea of what they were dealing with.

Red Cross is amazing. They have been out everyday handing out water, hot meals, smiles and even just "We care and are here". They have been a blessing. If you have never seen them at work...consider yourself lucky. That means you probably have never been in a disaster as big as this. I have been blessed but it is nice to see others here to help those that need help.

All the hand painted signs in the yards. Some serious..."keep out" "residents only, no tourists allowed", "please dont steal what we have left", "thanks for nothing Fema", "Looters will be shot", "small dog, big gun". All with a true meaning. We were there. We contemplated a gun to keep looters from stealing our generator. not so much our generator...things are things...but strangers in my house and possbibly harming my family.

Then there are those signs that just let you know we are going to be okay. "ike can't beat us like Tina" or "yard of the month" (this was in front of a house that had all this debris, trees down...devastated) or a plastic Frosty the Snowman with a life preserver around his neck that read "I survived Ike".

Is it going to take a long time to get back to normal? Yes. Will it be tough? Yes. But we will make it. We will survive and we, as a community, will do whatever it takes to make our community, safe, clean and home again.

Welcome back Seabrook!! We have missed you!!

The Devastation

2008-09-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

I went back to my hometown today. We still don't have lights but I can't complain. My husband and I drove around our small town. I couldn't help but cry. We are a town of 12000. I don't even know where to begin. We have a lot of woods in our area and jogging trails that wind through them. But they have the cadaver dogs out searching for victims. They are looking in the trees because they believe a 30 foot wall water came on shore. In those waters were people. And in some places where there were homes, all that is there is the foundation. Or maybe their homes are there...1/2 a foot to the left or right of the foundation. There are TVs, baby clothes, dressers, refrigerators in the woods, the parks and in the middle of the street. We had a wholesale fishing market street....just empty land now.

But for everyone...just imagine everyone in your neighborhood taking everything, and I mean everything, out of their house and putting it on the curb. Rugs, sheet rock, insulation, furniture, clothes, baby strollers. food, toys, pictures, just everything and putting it on the curb. It piles up about 10 feet and spans the length of your yard. Now imagine everyone in the neighborhood does this. There is no electricity, mosquitos are everywhere and you have nothing to drink or eat. You wanna stay to keep cleaning but you can't stay in your home. And you are limited on gas. Sure you can get a "snack pack" from FEMA but you have kids and that is not enough. If you are fortunate your job lets you take care of things. If you are not, you have to get to work or worse, your employer no longer exists because it was wiped out by the storm.

Kids start school on Tuesday in a building that has no AC and you don't have any AC either. For me, that means 75 miles one way to get her to school. I may have to enroll her into a school in Spring. She is worried about her friends and just wants to see familiar faces. She remembers how everyone ahhed and ooohed the Katrina evacuees that enrolled in her school and she doesn't want that kind of attention.

No picture on TV or story can even begin to touch the reality of actually being out there. I was blessed with just a few shingles gone...I am in awe of the difference of my house and almost everyone around me. I can't wait to get back and just help out my neighbors. We are going this weekend and help anyone we can.

Pray.

House was spared!

2008-09-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

My house was spared from Ike. I was one of only 5-10% people that did not get water in their house or wind damage. A few shingles came off but not much more.....Tired...emotionally. Going to bed, will post more tomorrow.

Tired

2008-09-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

It is 9:47 at night and the winds are still calm. I have stopped watching the news...same thing over and over...my house will flood. My husband is sleeping on a couch at my brother's place. He is emotionally and physically drained. He spent all day yesterday measuring windows, cutting boards and hanging them with hurricane clips. We drove to my brothers and today we spent the day worrying about the hurricane. He is from Canada and this is his first hurricane. Let him sleep. He is worried about our home and feels powerless. He knows the rough journey we have ahead of us and we have learned to put it in God's hands. Let him rest...give him peace.

7:59 PM

2008-09-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

Well Ike hasn't hit yet. We have had a pretty weird day. Nothing much going on but we are just in wait and see mode. This is how our day has gone:
8 am--wake up and like Christmas morning...run to the front room in anticipation...not for gifts but the most current news on the storm.
8:15 am We realize it has moved closer but we are now on the dirty side.
9:00 am See the 17 foot Seawall in Galveston disappear
12 noon See the small township next to ours underwater
2 pm Make sure all the clothes are washed....preparing for water to be shut down
3 pm cool down the house...feeling the house will lose electricity

Last run to store
Just waiting and see...taking baths in case we can't for a few days
Finishing up stuff for work...the rest of the world still revolves

My daughter's friends that stayed in Seabrook are updating with photos from our area...Toddville, the road into our neighborhood is under.

I have feeling my house is already gone.