Sunday Crop

Today I spent the day at Archivers Sunday Crop. I started scrapping at 11:00 am and left at 8:00 pm. I had a blast! Let me tell you, the gals at my Archiver's (Coon Rapids) are so knowledgeable and friendly. It's like stepping into another room in my own house. It's just that comfortable.

Wow, I got a lot done. I used my 30% off coupon to purchase another Slice cartridge. It's "Think Pink," and I just love it! Great font, phrases, fun flowers and leaves, tags, and lots of silhouette shapes. I ended up using it a lot today. What a great little machine.

I finished 10 pages, so I'll share some of my work with you this week. If oyu live near an Archiver's and have the time to go, attend one of these Sunday crops. They also have Scrap Manias on Friday and Saturday night. Great work space, great coupons, and they bring in really yummy food along with beverages and plenty of chocolate. You'll make some great scrapping friends and get some work done, too!

Chick'n Scratches Layout

Over at Two Chicks Design on Facebook, the Head Chick put out her first sketch challenge. If you don't have a Facebook account, Two Chicks is a great reason for getting one! Christie is always putting out good challenges, and not only that, she has amazing scrapping clothes and kits. Look for her at expos. You will see her booth!

Anyway, you will see that I flipped my pages form left to right, and then I rotated the sketch. My design holds true,you just see it a little differently - isn't individuality great?! Here are the challenge "rules":

1. You have until 11:59 pm central time on Sunday, Oct. 18 to upload a photo of your layout using the sketch.
2. Two Chicks will draw a name to win a $50 gift certificate to their site.
3. You must use at least 2 buttons and 1 piece of chipboard on the layout.
4. One word on the layout must be in your own handwriting.
5. You have to use one piece of patterned paper that you have been "hoarding" for at least 6 months.
   

What a fun challenge! I knew right away I would be pulling you Moon Doggie from CTMH. I have had that paper sitting around since April. It's been a hoarder because I just didn't know what to do with it. Also, I wasn't quite certain when I bought it that I liked the paper packet.

All the products used are CTMH (except for the Bazzill flower). You'll notice that the skethc called for 5x7 prints. Well, here is a hint if you don't have any. I used 4x6 pictures, and there are four mats under the (2) 5x7 spots. They are measured in quarter-inch increments. I don't know how well you see it on the computer, but in "real life" - LOL! - I like the looks of it. I also popped up a few photos for character.

These is my sister Patti's family, and she is in the picture as well. We spent a day in Duluth with them, and it was gorgeous by Lake Superior. Truly it is wonderful to see her kids together. They certainly love each other, and their kindness towards each other is amazing. My sister Patti is truly a mother to be admired...

Jerry loves the layout and the faux woode grain paper that is used as the base sheet. Me? I like this layout, but I'm still not too sure I'll make anything else with this paper. Maybe it will be my one hoarding paper set!!

What are You Doing Today?

I thought I'd show you what I am doing. I am going to a crop in November at my friend Lori's retreat house. I thought I would take advantage of the long weekend to really get a grip on my Christmas pictures. Guess what? I am going back 20 years! It seems like Christmas was like Shane's first year. I would set them aside and then not touch them until I could do them all at once. Well here is my all at once! Right now I've only got them sorted out from 1989 to 1994, but it sure is fun going through all the memories.

I have always had my pictures sorted. I love my Cropper Hopper boxes that I picked up from QVC. But now I am going through the years and picking out Christmas. For each year there is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and celebrations from both sides. Whew! That's a lot of pictures! I'm thinking though that if I had been digital there would be a ton more! You know how we snap away with our digitals!!

Well I'm heading back to 1995, so you have a tremendous day! Tell me, what are you doing today?

Adam Lambert and 2012

**In order to hear these clips, scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the music. That way you'll be able to hear just the clips. If you are looking for artwork, scroll down one more for my Twitterpated layout!**

Oh my goodness! We are so glad in our house that Adam Lambert is doing SO well after American Idol. Not only will his CD be out next month, but he recorded a huge song (with his huge voice) for the upcoming movie "2012." Check it out HERE and see what you think!

We watched trailers for this movie before we even knew of the song. John Cusack is one of my favorite actors, and this movie looks amazing. Look at the preview HERE.

That's it - just sharing my love of music and movies with you!

Another Twitterpated Layout

What a pretty young woman! I wanted to scrapbook my niece Lacey's graduation invitation along with a picture from her party. For this particular page, I liked the stickers from Twitterpated "it's a Wide World." I built the layout from there using all CTMH products.

Sales for You

I thought I would mention a some sales for you. We surely need to economize in our craft whenever we can!

The first is Scenic Route. They are liquidating all of their product in preparation for closing. I really like some of their papers, etc. It's always sad to hear about a company closing. I love this hobby of mine, and I am one of those consumers that loves to draw from everywhere to complete my memory books, gifts, and cards. Well anyway, check out their sale. You might find some things you like!

The next sale is Sticker Planet. When this company first opened years ago, it was just that - stickers. Now they have changed their name to Sticker Planet Plus, and I am so impressed with what they carry! I can get Bazzill flowers there, stamps, papers, embellishments. They divide everything by company, so it's quick and easy to shop on their site. Because they are internet-only and don't send catalogs, they also keep their costs really low. Anyway, use this code - SP50SHIP - before October 19 and you'll get free shipping on your order of $50 or more. Their shipping is incredible. I ordered several papers not long ago (you get to order by piece - not package), and I was quite concerned about the delivery. I don't want bent paper! But each companies paper came in a clear envelope. the embellishments were separated, and there was a lot of packing peanuts to keep everything safe. I was very impressed! I have been ordering from this company for years, and it just keeps getting better and better!

Don't forget to sign up for your Archiver's newsletter! If you have one in your area, it is well worth it. Every month you get at least one 30% off coupon and a coupon for free cardstock. Just the other day, I picked up 1o sheets of 8-1/2 x 11 paper for $3.90, and I got 10 more sheets FREE. That makes 40 cards for Operation Write Home!

Also, check out JoAnn's online. A lot of times I find things less expensive online than I do in the store. I have needed a new fiskars euro trimmer for awhile (the only one I'll use), and I found it online for $18.19. That's a great price considering I paid $29.95 for my first one. Also, a great value because my first one carried me through 5 years and so much cutting for workshops! I simply did a google search and found a free shipping code for JoAnn's, and I was good to go!

Hope this info helps you save a few $$! With the money you saved, maybe you can get a pedicure or go to a movie with your sweetheart! ;)

Coffee is ALWAYS a Reason to Celebrate!

At least I think so!

I found a design similar to this in Card Maker magazine, so I decided to give it a whirl. This is my Inkadinkado stamps. It stamps a beautiful vintage coffee cup. I gave the stamp a little color after stamping by using chalks - light blue for hte cup and a cream color for the coffee.

I've used Staz-On Timber Brown ink for my stamping and distressing. I love the richness of staz-ons ink. They make an image very crisp and clear. This is K & Company paper, some random embellishments, and a sentiment stamp. Easy and fun to make!

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Jerry was going to pick up the fall leaves today (yes, it is FALL), but that has been side-lined by this very cold, white stuff. Even in MN, it's way too early for this!

Did I ever tell you that I'm not a fan of winter?

Tomorrow morning we are supposed to wake up to 24 degrees. There is one good thing. Snow brings work to Jerry, and he paints a lot of cars from the time it snows till spring.

Oh. Spring. That sounds like a far way off right now! 6 months of winter again...

The berries are pretty on my honeysuckle, though...And this is a unique picture with snow on the deck, but fall colors on the tree behind.

So what's it like in your neighborhood?

American League Central Division Champs!

After a near 5-hour and 12-inning game, the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central Division!!! There was a lot of clapping, cheering, and yelling at our house tonight!!

You'll see I've sent over pix of Joe Mauer for you to enjoy. That #7 is my favorite player! Off to New York tomorrow to meet up with the Yankees for the division play-offs. Too much fun catching all this great baseball!!

Ah, Such Cute Boys!

My niece, Jessica, brought over pictures of her cuties. Pop open the layout and look at those faces. Tell me if that doesn't make you smile!!

With the antique picture, I thought that Twitterpated was just the right paper to use. I was not sure of this paper because I'm really not fond of the Sorbet color. However, the teensy chocolate dots are just perfect on this paper. I also LOVE that chocolate plaid. I popped up the owl and mushroom from the stickease packet, scalloped some borders, and this was just right for this layout. Other than Twitterpated Level 1 (yep, this is a Level 1 - I really, really like using them) and the matching stickease, I used a chocolate brad, a little liquid glass, and some Artsylicious velvet ribbon.

Here and There It Was a Lovely Day

Jerry and I had a wonderful day! We took a tour bus through the school district to the St. Croix River area (Minnesota - Wisconsin border). We knew it was cloudy and a little bit chilly, but it was still a fabulous day! We rode the motorcoach to Stillwater and boarded a river boat. What a relaxing ride down the St. Croix River! About 2-1/2 hours later, we docked back at Stillwater and did a little shopping. Jerry and I headed first to the Northern Vineyards and then to the Fine Art Fair and Jazz Festival in town.

From there the motorcoach took us to Aamondt's Apple Orchard and St. Croix Vineyards. They actually let you walk between the rows of grape vines. Have you ever had a sweet grape right off the vine? Oh, they are so wonderful! I am quite certain that the fruit in Heaven tastes just like that!

Of course we picked up some bottles of wine at St. Croix Vineyards. I can only have a sip, but boy do I savor that bouquet!

I ran into some fresh grapeseed oil at the vineyard, so I was overjoyed to pick up some of that. have you ever cooked with grapeseed oil? First of all, it has half the amount of saturated fat than that of olive oil. And remember, olive oil one of the better oils for us! Grapeseed is very light, and therefore you retain a lot of your food flavor. It's very, very flavorful. If you should use it, start out with a lesser amount in your pan. You will be surprised how far this oil goes! I usually get mine from a direct sales company - Wildtree - but what a treat to pick up fresh grapeseed oil! By the way, I'm still scantily using our bottle of olive oil from Tuscany. Such a nice flavor in that, too!
We took a walk through the apple orchards, too. The apples were so heavy on the trees! You all ready know how much we love apples in our house!

So, if you have the opportunity to get away for a day like this, do it! Don't think twice, just go! These little one-day vacations are good for the soul!