Merry Christmas!! LOL

Goal achieved!! Here are my Christmas layouts - 12 and then some!!

Let's start with the wall'o'layouts and maybe I'll add some of my favorites in here, too.

TFL!!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

He's a big ol' 4 today and I just can't get over it!! I cried quite a few times yesterday - wish I could keep him a baby and young and innocent forever!! Since that's not going to happen, we're celebrating with a few new pics, some fav layouts, cupcakes, family, and a trip to ToysRUs later.

Happy Birthday, Big Boy!

declaring myself a sketch

LOVER!! {I know, nothing new...} I love them! Any and almost all - I hoard sketches. They just make great in-between pages when I'm not feeling "createful". So my mission is to add to my sidebar my fav sketches sites.

Oh, and to get us started? Here's one I just finished.

note to viewers: do not tell me if you don't like this one - it took me FOREVER!! LOL!

It's a January PageMap!

And, by the way, this is the 6th of my goal of 12 Christmas pages!! Almost there!

new WALL of goals!

By the end of January, I want this wall filled with Christmas pages! I have so many pics to scrap, and the transition from my favorite autumn scrapping colors into January and the rest of the year is the most difficult for me. I'm keeping one from 2006, and the rest I must create this month!
Of course, it'd help if we would get some snow!!!

25 minutes later...

Lookie what I did!

Got to work:

set the timer for 20 minutes and this is what I accomplished!

Looking forward to another 20 tomorrow...

Before & After!

Happy New Year!

Mine sure is!

I spent the night last night working, causing trouble and chatting on the Streets! It was certainly a blast! I tried to get one more in for 2006, but I only finished one digital. So my 2006 stats are:

Pages completed: 290

Digital pages: 33

Paper pages: 257

My goal was 312, but I didn't hit it for the 2nd year in a row. :(



2007 page goals are:
300 paper pages &
100 digital pages

Some other scrappin goals for me:
*make my own digi kit
*blog at least once a week.
*submit at least once a week.
*clean the scraproom - I mean really make it usable!!
*get my (hundreds?) of layouts IN books!

Add lost 30 pounds to that list, and I'm ready to ring in 2007!

Wendy Reed's Sweet Me Designs

gotta check these out!
I've been a fan (no, not a stalker, a FAN!) of her scrapbooking for some time, but check out her SWEET bags for sale!

Sweet Me Designs

ScrapStreet WebRing!

I created it tonight just for all of us! It's super easy:
Look to the right over there ~~~>
See the blue box that says ScrapStreet Artists?

Click JOIN.
Fill out the form.
Add the html shown when you sign up
and then you'll be approved!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

and show how proud we are of the art and talent at

ScrapStreet Magazine!

Can you handle 12?!

12 days of croppin' that is!! at CreatingPages.biz!

Jennifer came up with a very ambitious crop - full fun for a full 12 days! We started last night and will be going on into December!! Come join us...here's schedule of events:

Friday (Nov 24)

online crop: 6-10 pm cst; challenges and games every hour!

Saturday (Nov 25)

online crop: 6-10 pm cst; challenges and games every hour!

Sunday - Thursday

more fun and challenges every day!

Friday (Dec 1)

online crop: 6-10 pm cst; challenges and games every hour!

Saturday (Dec 2)

online crop: 6-10 pm cst; challenges and games every hour!

Sunday - Tuesday

more fun and challenges every day!

PLUS!

Due to the success of the Runway Project... another surprise build-a-layout contest within the crop! For CP members only, there are 12 days of 12 challenges! The first three challenges will be up by the end of this weekend, & you can join anytime!

Happy to be Thankful

My autumn scrapbook, ladies first:

Just wanted to share...

I have so much to be thankful for.

lookie! it's me!!

Here I am!!! how cool is this?!

http://scrapstreet.com/artists/artistlindsbio.htm

hair I am!!

Forgot to tell you what I did last week!!

I haven't done the page for it, yet...will I?

Before:

After!!

But you will see a new profile pic around town...

Here I Am!!

It's been a weird couple of weeks. I've been doing digi all month, which is fine; but in reality, I've been so scared that I was losing the drive and the will to pick up paper - losing my love of scrapbooking. It wasn't even missing MoJo this time, and I have no problem inspiring others and chatter - it was the drive for the actual art. Especially seeing all these incredibly talented women who are closing down their blogs, saying goodbye to scrapbooking - our inspirations seemed to be dwindling lately.

However, I picked up ScrapStreet's November 'Stillwater' Kit and did a layout both for a Cyber Crop at TTT and at my good ol' Yahoo group. I like it and I am so relieved that I still have the ability to create a page I like.

My only other goal today, while Matthew is away, is to get my paper project for the Runway Project at CP started. The girls have been so wonderful thinking up creative ways to interpret our daily challenges - I've got miles on the catwalk to catch up! See the gallery!

Anyway. I think I'm back. And it feel so good.

Wanna see it? Here's McKenna!

ScrapBooked My Walls!

LOL...even Doug was supportive of this!

Just a few thumbtacks, binder clips, a plastic hammer (apparently now Matthew thinks I'm as cool as Handy Manny :) ) The ONLY good thing about the fact that the downstairs is the only place we haven't renovated is ugly paneled walls that I don't mind sticking lots of holes into!

10 Nov...

and I haven't done a paper layout yet in November! I've been so busy digitally this month, that I haven't even LOOKED at paper supplies... I'm NOT turning digi...I'm NOT turning digi...I'm NOT... well, maybe I am, a little, and that's okay! Good things will come of it, you'll see soon. ;)

This month's banner up there I made with ScrapStreet's November kit called Embrace - made by Spink and Dora...isn't it delicious?!

So I've been up to submitting for the magazine, practicing digital at the road trip at the Streets, getting dt stuff done for CP - really cute kit comin' up! - and putting on the Runway Project with the girls at Creating Pages. That's really turned out quite cute~

the Runway Project....

is here!! CreatingPages.biz

keep CHRIST

in Christmas, please!

Remember his sacrificies for us?
I'm thinking typing all of 'Christ' is the smallest payback I can think of.

black and white

So this was an ad-inspired page from the ScrapStreet in Paris fair this weekend - I LOVE this layout! I actually had to do some real cutting with scissors for those flowers AND I used transparencies, which I haven't used in ages, but it's fun nonetheless. Not sure why the scanner AND the camera hated this layout, but here are the details:

cs: Bazzill
pp: WUBE
cb flowers: Magistical Memories
flowers: Prima
brads: MM
bling: Heidi Swapp
font: Batang, 2Peas Funky Doodles
tag: 3 Bugs in a Rug
Ad Inspiration

J:
Mother & Daughter
so alike ~ yet ~ so different
mommy & mckenna: temperamental
mommy: wild child ~ mckenna: mild child
mommy & mckenna: sleep anywhere
mommy: sleeps a little ~ mckenna: sleeps a lot
mommy & mckenna: outdoor lovin'
mommy: cold weather gal ~ mckenna: wants to be warm
mommy & mckenna: eyes of blue
mommy: eyes like diamonds ~ mckenna: eyes like glass
mommy & mckenna ~ all girl
mommy: sporty girl ~ mckenna: girlie girl

ScrapStreet.com Pit Crew...ME!

I am HONORED to tell everyone that I was invited onto the Pit Crew for the ScrapStreet.com magazine staff!! I am THRILLED, to say the least!

I also made it to the final round of SS's 5-week "500" contest and am a last minute cover finalist for November!

shopping spree for YOU!

MYSTERY SHOPPING SPREE

Today's the day shoppers! For the next 24 hours (yep, we extended the sale an extra 12 hours) you can enjoy store wide saving of up to 45% off! Because of the popularity of this sale, orders will ship next Tuesday (October 24, 2006). IMPORTANT: Actual shipping charges will apply during this time period, even on orders over $35.

CreatingPages.biz

Runway Project

(don't tell anyone - but this is out of MY idea notebook!!)

Join us at beginning November 4 for two (2) weeks as we work together to build a project, piece by piece, design by design, element by element!

It's CP's own Runway Project! Here's how it works:
Every other day, for two (2) weeks, the DT will give YOU a Runway Project challenge or element that you must use to create YOUR own project.
Any project may be created (one or two page layout(s), altered items, etc.) as long as it is created in the sequence of steps CP provides.
You will be required to upload a picture of your project after each and every step.
You can join in at any time, as long as you take pictures of each step.
There will be no elimination during the competition; however, in order to be eligible to win, you must have a photo uploaded of each step prior to the deadline (November 18).
For more information, please stay tuned!

goings-on at Creating Pages

Lots going on here...Let's catch up! - There are 3!!

REFER-A-FRIEND contest:
For the entire month of October, I want you to bring your friends to CP!!

For every member who refers 7 new members to CP, I'll enter them once into a drawing.

Referring member and new members must reach at least 25 posts to qualify.
New members can then refer other new members, too.If any referring or new member posts 1,000 times in the month of October, their name will also go into the drawing.

All you have to do is get your friend here, have him/her post {to} her hello and then keep on posting!

I'd love to rak the winner a CP kit of their choice.In appreciation for CP, Linda and all of her hard work, this month, the RAK/prize is on me.

Contest end date: October 31st.
Draw date: noon EST November 1st.

Mind Your Z's & Q's contest:
Okay, so here's the deal. We all have hundreds, if not thousands of those letters leftover that we never use.
K's
Q's
U's
V's
W's
X's
Z's
the list may be endless in your alphabet boxes...

I want to see you use those letters,
specifically leftover letters, in unique ways.
Any letter type will do: chipboard, sticker, even stamp!
And item will do: page, layout, altered item.

Maybe you'll substitute one letter for another...
Maybe you'll use a letter as a shape...
Maybe you'll cut, paste or alter a letter.

Whatever it is, let creativity flow and think outside the alphabet!
All layouts must be newly created and are due October 31st!

the most amazing charity CROP!

starts tomorrow!!
PLEASE come by and see what's happening.
Tell them I sent you.
If nothing else, PLEASE help out by making cards to send to the NICU. Details below.

visit CCaS

Card Details:
Along with raising funds for the NICU, we are going to be donating homemade cards for the nurses to give to the parents of the preemies in the NICU.

These cards will be used by the NICU nurses to provide the parents with a stamp their babies foot.

If you would like to make a card, (or ten ) please follow the attached details for consistency purposes.

Details of Cards
The cards should be at least 4x6 in size. You can provide cards with or without envelopes.The design of the card can be geared towards a boy, a girl, or it can be unisex.

The card should leave room for the babies name and the birthdate.

The inside should be either a light colour or white, or have a white insert page. This is where the footprint will go, along with the date.

Completed cards can be sent to:
Creative Crafts and Stickers
30 Alanadale Avenue
Markham, Ontario
L3P 1S3 Canada

I will be taking the cards to the hospital in Ottawa sometime in October. If cards arrive after I have already been to the hospital, I will continue to forward them on to the NICU nurses.

Thank you for all of your support.

Jen, Creative Crafts and Stickers owner

Donna Downey

Donna Downey will be chatting at Creating Pages tonight 9 pm EST.
Come chat with us and get to know her!!

Donna's blog

CP Croppin'!

Feels SO good to sit at a crop with friends after such a long and not-so-fun week. Come play and see!

Creating Pages

Fall into Scrappin' Cyber Crop!

Friday, Sept. 22 6pm-9pm

and

Saturday, Sept 23 6pm-9pm

AND I made my first {successful} blinkie for the crop!

Special thanks to Jennifer Halleck and Michelle Boeckermann who tried and tried to help me. Alas, there is no hope for help.

But I got it done!!

ps...thank you for all your well-wishes and prayers for my daughter, McKenna. She is home and mostly peaceful and getting back to her old self. Couldn't have done it without the support of friends like you.

design team!

Oh, c'mon - you know what this is about! I finally broke thru! My longest-lived and favorite little site has chosen me, of 3, for their new design team!! I couldn't be flying any higher right now! More on some amazing things happening over there soon ...

Also!
*Just got back from our quick trip to Georgia to see my brother and family, and my nephew's 6th birthday - you know, gotta create the memories to scrap...
*Matthew started preschool today...
*Went back to work today for the new year!

lil black horse & a cherry tree...

so an otherwise bleary, rainy, bad day turned out pretty ok! First I see "Olden Days" (the one with matthew's fishing gear) atop the How Much is Too Much blog - winner! That was a more-than-nice surprise, and much-needed. --- So Wendy Reed was heading up this challenge & we've been chatting via email; apparently she's really as sweet as her work. Thanks, Wendy!

...and THEN, I head over to TTT for a quick visit and see via the boards that "Basket" (the one where mckenna IS the laundry) was chosen by the dt in their September newsletter. Ain't they sweet? It's one page I loved everything about BUT the arrow and wasn't too sure of, but a lil validation once in a while isn't so bad!
BTW, as for the title of this post, it's just my favorite song at the moment - even tho it's a Big Black Horse...

a few more little flowers

it's my thing.
my newest thing.
flowers.
made from anything.
today: made from anchorz.
tomorrow: metal-rimmed tags. I'm on it.

a little more about mag called...

ScrapStreet...
had one chosen by them out of my gallery for their September mag {coming tomorrow}. What's more is I used a stamp and an ink pad given to me by my brother for my birthday last month. That's just plain cool.

a little lovin'

baby's got bling

just lovin' this LO of mine...that's all.
{can I say that? is this vain?}
who cares, she's a doll!

a little more cherryArte...cp's 8-weeker is over

CreatingPages.biz's 8 week contest is over... :( Had lots of fun and lots of challenge along the way! I'll link my 8 layouts and take a look at GoodBye Keuka - it's in cherryArte's gallery, too.

Lil' Spark challenge: use bling
Play Ball challenge: add dimension
RoadTrip! challenge: use We R Memory Keepers
Happy to Be challenge: use arrows
GoodBye Keuka challenge: quote <~~~at cherryArte.com
Ready to challenge: use American Crafts
safe challenge: art inspiration
June challenge: all about a month

what else am I up to this month? I submitted aHead of Fashion to OnePageAtaTime's fashion contest. Not gunning for that one, but I had the pics, so I finished the LO. I've also been completing an average of 2 pages a day bc of the GDT challenges at Creative Crafts and Stickers! 2 is a whole lot for me! Not gunning for that, either, but it's fun and you know how I love math! My Pages at CCaS

help make this crop not so little!

I was at Creative Crafts and Stickers today and saw this...let me ask you, what is your favorite message board doing these days?!

It is with great excitement that I announce that from Sept 27th to October 3rd, Creative Crafts and Stickers will be holding our first annual Charity Crop.

During this crop, a portion of all sales will be going to the Rich Little Special Care Nursery (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - NICU) at the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital (located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada).

As many of you know, in the past two years, my sister has had two premature babies, with the second one born this past May. I am so very impressed with the care and dedication that the Neonatal staff have shown for my sister, brother in law and her premature babies. Children are our future and getting a supportive and loving start is very important.

The intent of this crop is to give back to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and allow them to better support other families who need their services.This NICU Charity Crop will include challenges, online classes, games, prizes and a raffle of donated products. A portion of all sales will be donated to the NICU area, and all orders will receive a goodie bag filled with items from our sponsors. We are also asking that all participants create Congratulations cards for the nurses to give to the families with babies in the NICU. More details about the cards will follow.

In order to make this event a huge success and allow us to make the largest donation possible, we have asked for contributions from manufacturers in the scrapbooking and stamping world. The response has been fabulous!

Donations will become prizes, a part of the raffle and/or sponsor donations in the goodie bag.

To date, we have the following sponsors for the NICU Charity Crop:
3L
3M
7Gypsies
Adhesive Tech
Ampersand Art Supply
Atomic Cupcake
C-Line Products
Clearsnap
Craf-TDRG Publishing - Annie's Attic
Donna Downey
Everlasting Keepsakes
GelatinsGenerations
Karen Foster Designs
Keeping Memories Alive
May Arts
Me & My Big Ideas
Memory Makers Magazine
Michael Miller Memories
Natural Designs in Scrapbooking
PhotoMix
PiggyTales
Ranger Ink
Scrapbook and Cards Today
Scrapbook Eh Wholesale
Scrapbook Max
S unshine Designs/Nuggitz
Sweetwater
Time to Stamp
The Beary Patch
Treehouse Designs
We R Memory Keepers

I have also been asked to write an article for the December issue of Memory Makers to tell the story of my nieces and how it inspired me to hold this crop.I hope you all will join us for the crop and will consider making a donation to this great cause. I am hoping to go to hospital in the fall to present the cards and a cheque to the NICU staff.Together we can make a difference!
*** I will update the sponsor list above as I get more confirmations back.

Jen - Owner Creative Crafts and Stickers

click the link to go to the thread - I hope to see you ALL there!!
Creative Crafts and Stickers Charity Crop

a little dare for you...

and I hate to use the word "dare", since it's already out there, but this truly is a dare in a sense that it'll take guts to do this...
I got one of those forward emails from a friend today. Instead of forwarding it (I hardly ever do) I challenge you to do a LO about one, or all, of the following. Make sure you come back and show it to me =)

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself

B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle anything

the email:
BITCHOLOGY
When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way, they call me a bitch.
Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.
When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.
It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.
I am outspoken, opinionated and determined.
I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won't succeed. And if that makes me a bitch, so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself

B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle anything

a little croppin' this weekend!

I'll be over at TTT this weekend for a fun crop - I stayed up waaaaayy too late last night, and I'm sure tonight won't be any different! I hadn't been visiting lately and I received an email about the crop. I decide to go. I decide to chat. I decide to do a few challenges. I decide to stay up too late - and THANK GOODNESS I DID! You HAVE to go see the kits they just sneak peeked - I reserved a Rhapsody Kit, but I really was thinking about getting all 3! It's well worth the price, so go see!!!
Oh, and if you go? Tell them I sent you! Then we're both in for scrappy prizes!! See you there!

little signature

Found a little signature thing... other than the "little" thing (which I almost quit the other day). Decided that all of my layouts will have a title that goes like this: "SAFE (the one with Proverbs 29:25)".
Why? Why not. I'm thinking this might annoy people to no end, but it's for me and totally FRIENDS inspired.
BTW, "SAFE" is my week #7 entry at creatingpages.biz series contest. =)

going a little vertical!

Did my first vertical today, but you'll have to hop on over to CreatingPages.biz to see it, as it's in the 8 weeks series contest. I'm pretty proud of most of the work I've done this time (last time I didn't make it passed week 3 or 4...) Anyhoo...check me out: Ready to

Did I mention I also joined the Pageant at ScrapTastic and the Effers Dare Contest. Hey! I just found out that I'm way behind my scrappy goal for the year, apparently I was headed for last year's 1st goal and wasn't doing the right # per month, so I'm going to need all the challenge I can get~

The only thing I love more than scrapping the memories is making them.