Practical Scrappers and Scrap That Poetry Blog Hops

Welcome to my blog!  You may be joining me from 1 of 2 blog hops that I am participating in this weekend.  If you are looking for Scrap That Poetry's blog hop, it will be mentioned after Practical Scrappers.

Thank you for stopping by my blog during the Practical Scrappers Designer Blog Hop.  Today I have created 2 cards to share with you.  Since our challenge this week was embossing, I used heat embossing on my 1st card for the sentiment.  On my second card, I heat embossed the truck and then I used Stampin up Watercolor crayons and colored my images and added Diamond Glaze to add some shine! I am giving away two RAK's (pictured below) and I am able to ship it internationally.  In order to qualify you need to become a follower here and leave a comment on this post.  I will announce the winner on Monday, January 25th so make sure to check back in!

You should have arrived here from Jaime's blog.  Your next stop on the Practical Scrapper's Blog hop is Erika.  If this was your first stop head over to Practical Scrappers to start at the beginning of the hop.  The designers are giving away some great prizes- you don't want to miss your chance!

Welcome to Scrap That Poetry's 1st Blog Hop! The hop begins on Friday, January 22nd at 9 am EST and ends on Sunday evening.  If this was your 1st stop, go back to Scrap That Poetry to hear all the details.  We are giving away a $15 online gift certificate to one lucky hopper to their choice of online stores.

This is your 2nd stop on the Scrap That Poetry Blog Hop.  We are featuring the poem, How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  I created the following layout using the words from the poem as my inspiration to tell my husband how much he means to me. I used Sketchy Thursday's latest sketch. I created this challenge blog in October to combine my love of poetry and scrapbooking.  I hope you come back and participate in our biweekly challenges.  Our current challenge is posted here.

During our blog hop, the current design team will be introducing our newest design team members who begin with one of my favorite poems in February!  I am very lucky to introduce Tessa Buys to you.  Tessa is a stay-at-home-mom to three little boys.  She recently moved to Wyoming from Northern California where she was a dance teacher/ choreographer.  She has her own Etsy shop called Precocious Paper.  I am thrilled to have her join Scrap That Poetry.  Your next stop on the hop is Tessa's blog.

Before you leave, if you would like to qualify for my RAK (pictured below), you need to become a follower of my blog, post a comment and tell me what your favorite poem is. 

I am giving away 1 RAK for the Practical Scrapper's blog hop and 1 for Scrap That Poetry's blog hop!
I hope you enjoy both Blog Hops this weekend!

Practical Scrappers

Here is my take on this weekend's sketch at Practical Scrappers! 

Blog Hops

Announcing Scrap That Poetry and Practical Scrapper's Blog Hops!!!

Both challenge sites are having blog hops this weekend.  I will be a stop on both of them.  I hope you take the time to check out both amazing hops, since there will be lots of fun, inspiration, and projects being shared.  Some of the blogs will be giving away RAKS as well!

Exciting news!!!

I have lots of exciting news to share! First, I was asked to join Artastic challenge blog! I fell in love with this blog the first time I saw it. See my creations for this challenge blog here. My official time on the DT begins in March! Can't wait to share my creations with you! Here is the official announcement!We celebrated Pappy's 83rd birthday on Friday! We had such a great time with the family!
Pappy and Jean

We also celebrated Aunt Tanya's birthday!!! Well, not officially but we did!

Clara just wanted to spend time with Pappy... she sat across from him all night... then played around with him with the cake! They all had a blast!
This weekend, I got to do some scrapbooking and got a lot completed! I had a blast ladies! On my way home from scrapbooking, I stopped at the property and this is what I saw...

all the windows on the downstairs installed...

The risers to the 2nd floor installed and the treads leading to the landing!

Brian and his dad designed the treads. We are using copper pipe as an accent. I love it!

Here is the view from the landing!

Finally, I got the virus that attacked my computer on Thursday off... Yeah!!! So, here is my layout for Scrapping the Music this week. I used "Blue Train" since Bryce has been in love with Thomas the Train since he was a little over 1 year old. He can't wait to get out his train table from storage for at our new house! Don't forget to stop by and play along with us!

I am so excited for my new design team members for Scrap That Poetry... new things in store for us!!! Thank you to all who regularly stop by and participate!

Scrap That Poetry

Scrap That Poetry's newest Design Team is announced!!! Check it out! I am so excited to say that I kept my current 6 members and added 6 more! More people to share more inspiration to all! Stop over and see who is joining us! We are having a blog hop this weekend with RAK's stop back on Friday for more details.

I will be back hopefully tomorrow to post my latest Scrapping the Music layout! I loved seeing everyone's work from this week. I hope to be able to add photos tomorrow!

Stopping by the Woods

My newest challenge at Scrap That Poetry is Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert FrostJournaling reads: Building this house is taking forever. Deadline is approaching and it seems like we have many miles to go to finish! I am so proud of Brian and the work he has done. It is long and tiring and he is giving up his family and fun time to build.

I also created this for our Color Challenge over at Challenge Masters.
Here is my take on our glitter/bling challenge over at Practical Scrappers. I hope you decide to stop over and play along with us at both Practical Scrappers and Scrap That Poetry this week.
I am looking forward to a fun weekend scrapping with some friends! I can't wait to share what I create! I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Facebook

So, I said I would never join Facebook... well, never say never, I joined last night. Trying to figure the whole thing out... wish me luck!

Dancing in the night

Scrapping the Music's Challenge this week is "Say Hey". I used the lyrics... dancing in the night. Brian and I were dance partners in college for our dance team. We took ballroom lessons together as well as did tap together.

Journaling reads: "I fell in love with Brian on the dance floor while we were taking ballroom lessons in college."

It is true... I didn't know it at the time, well maybe I did... but he literally swept me off my feet!
I must say, this is one of my all time favorite layouts that I have created... wish I could enter this one over at These are a Few of my Favorite things... but I just made it!

I just love the sketch that Diana created at Sketchy Thursday! I will use this one many times... I flipped the sketch for this layout! I created the flower at my LSS in Quakertown, Memory Lane. We painted the diecut fabric flower, layered it on a pattern flower and then doodled on it. I combined a few different companies on this layout (Jenni Bowlin and Jillibean)

Jenni Bowlin will be coming to the store in March... just in time for my birthday... hint, hint to family!!! I also created this layout for 2 Red Bananas challenge as well as my last layout in this post... (think round.)

I hope you have a chance to pop over to Scrapping the Music this week to play along with us... we are giving away RAK's.

Field Trip- I created this layout for Challenge Masters-

Journaling challenge (use strip journaling) I also created this for Die Cuts R Us- color challenge.Racing Wan*Be- I created this layout for Challenge Masters Recipe challenge (Blue, ric rac, rhinestones, rub ons, round corners, and white space.) The inspiration for this layout was a scraplift of July Gaceta from the XOXO Girls. Finally, I created Pail Time using the AD/ART inspiration from Challenge Masters. OHHH... I fell in love with this inspiration and just knew exactly which papers I wanted to use and it just came together in minutes!!! I also created this for 2 Red Bananas Think Round Challenge.
Thanks everyone for stopping by... I hope you have a chance to play along with us! You have until January 14th to link up your Hope entries at Scrap That Poetry!

Don't forget about my Design Team Call for Scrap That Poetry... you have until January 15th to send me your application! See the call here.

A few challenges

I love to scraplift and found a new challenge blog based just on that! It is called the XOXO Girls, you need to go check them out! I scraplifted Lynnette Davis, you can see her layout below mine! Thanks for the great inspiration. I used Jillibean papers and thickers for this project.(I wish I could get good outside pictures to really show off the colors.)Trip- Jennifer Campbell
Wish- Lynnette Davis

Design Dollies color challenge this week was red, yellow and blue. Here is my take on it.Here is Design Dollies sketch this week.

I created this layout for a few challenges... 1st I created it for two of the three Design Dollies challenges this week. Their sketch (above) was my jumping off point as well as to use the word "resolution" (element challenge). I also made this for Challenge Masters 1st contest- One Little Word Contest. Also, at Journaling Junkies their challenge was to explain your OLW for 2010.

Finally, I am playing along with Frosted Designs with their ink challenge this week. I used ink with bubble wrap as well as Glimmer mist!
Title- My Resolution for 2010 is to Persevere.
Journaling reads: I chose the word persevere for this year because it means to persist in anything undertaken, maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty or obstacles.

I try not to write too much about what is really going on with how our house is going. It is not positive at all. We are trying to persevere through this long, trying process because we know we will get there and overcome all the obstacles that have been put in our way over the past two years. People keep telling me, if your marriage can survive building a house, it will survive forever. I have no doubt about that and it is true... it really does put a strain on any relationship; however, we will persevere!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my creations from today!

Blog candy

Do you make calendars? Well, I have never made one... but I am highly considering it... especially since there is a new challenge group up over at Challenge Masters in designing a calendar. Well, Melissa is giving one away here. Go check it out.. you even get to do the Hokey Pokey... well, not really, but you can. I have it stuck in my head now... anyway, good luck!

Buttons, buttons and more buttons

Our challenge this week at Practical Scrappers is to use buttons... so come on over and link up your best button layouts here. Here are two new layouts I created just for this challenge. I created a button tree on the Santa! layout. Isn't that Santa the most adorable one... he visits our school every year. The journaling reads: "Even Santa needs to wear a visitor's tag @ school. What is going on in this world. Dec 2009, SVES.

Next, I created "Summer Camp" and used the buttons as accents on the page.

Here are some of my favorite button projects!

I hope you are able to join us!

Artastic and Screen 2 Scrap

I created the layout above for Screen 2 Scrap's current challenge. Challenge is to use black and white and one predominant color (pink). Bonus points if you use 3 black and white photos... so I did!!! I love bonus points! Clara had such a blast to sled and play in the snow. I loved creating this layout for this challenge! Hope you enjoy it!
Artastic's challenge is to use the painting above... so I put it on my card... it is so beautiful, I thought it would make a wonderful card. Bonus points for using a bouquet of flowers.
Thanks for stopping by!

Also, Ch{all}enge Masters is featuring it's first contest.

"Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2010?"

Read more here.

You have a chance to win an online gift certificate.

Check it out!

Some scrappy time!!!

I have had a little scrapping time lately so here are a few layouts to share.

First one I created for Scrapping the Music's Challenge #116

Theme Song from Golden Girls

When I first heard that we were doing this song, I thought of my Mom and Sister who are huge fans of the show... then I was going to create a page with one of my close friends... but all in all, I had to create a page of me and Brian. Honestly, he truly is my closest friend, his friendship means the world to me. When we broke off our friendship after college, I realized that I lost everything. So, Brian, "Thank you for being my friend!"

I hope you find time to come scrap with us this week. We are so excited to announce that we will be giving away prizes. The first prize is from Studio Calico... {sigh} love them!!!Here is a layout that I made for Clara's album. It is from her Fancy Nancy birthday party!
Next, I created the card below for two challenges. First, I used Heidi's first sketch at Sketchy Thursday's Second Chance Challenge. Oh, I love that sketch!!! Second, I used Challenge Master's Card Challenge. Criteria- Valentine Card, rhinestones, inking, stamping and your choice of embellishment- I chose rub ons!
Over at AAM, one of their challenges is to scrap your guilty pleasure. Well, if you read my blog, you know how much I love to play along with challenges! Well, my guilty pleasure is to do challenges. I feel a little guilty because most of the time the layouts are just for me not for my kids albums!!! I {heart} challenge blogs!!!
Finally, the Altered Challenge at Challenge Masters is to create an altered frame featuring your OLW. I can't wait to display this on my desk!
Thanks to everyone for voting on my layouts that were posted here.
There are still 3 more days to vote if you wish too.

Persevere

My One Little Word for 2010 is Persevere.

My "hope" for 2010 is to be able to have faith in my word and believe in it as whole heartedly as I did my word for last year which was gratitude! I have chosen an owl to represent my word.

Owls are wise and strong and that is what I think of when I hear the word persevere. Read more about my word here.I created this layout for 2 challenges. 1st- Scrap That Poetry

The poem for challenge #7 is Hope by Emily Dickenson.

Journaling reads: I hope to persevere during 2010 through all my obstacles! OLW

The next challenge that I created this for was Mission Create. I used their 5 concepts as the bones behind the layout.

1- Masking

2- Red

3- grid or ledger paper

4- strip journaling

5- stamping
I chose to use all 5 concepts in my layout!

The next layout I created is also for my OLW, as I plan to do a few to keep myself motivated this year!! I created this one using Sketchy Thursday's 12.31 sketch (which is one of my absolute favs and plan on using over and over).

Happy New Year!!!

{I cannot take credit for the owl pictures they were found on Google}- no author known.