Life is Good!

Supplies: Cards (Joanns), Cardstock(Bazzill), Patterned Paper and ribbon (American Crafts), Flower (Kaiser), Dream Big stamp (Doodlebug)

Sorry I left you guys hanging this weekend - we bought a jet ski so we were out on the water all weekend. Yesterday I spent the whole day preparing for my Bella class. The card above is one of the 4 we will make in class.

Back to the weekend - we went out to Harsens Island where friends of ours (Shanna & Al) were to get engaged. They have been dating for 3 years and Shanna had no idea it was coming. So, we get to the beach where she is all excited to see a ton of friends and relatives spread along the beach (she thinks they are there for a big party without reason) and Al decides to do a toast. Long story short, to watch Shanna's face through the toast (still excited and clueless) to the part where he turns to her and starts to get mushy (straight faced but still clueless) and the finale when he reaches in his pocket and she understands now what is happening and her face goes from a huge smile to a rush of tears to another huge smile... my God, is was so amazing. I was looking at them thinking, Wow... they are at the very beginning of their journey. How exciting for them. They have their whole lives ahead - their fabulous wedding, tropical honeymoon, pregnancy, the birth of their first child, turning their bachelor pad into a family home... I am so envious. I'm very happy to be where I am in my life, but of course, pieces of me yearn for the past when Tony & I were still fresh and new. When we were stupid in love throwing all caution to the wind. When we used to fly by the seat of our pants. What's cool, is we traded that love for something more mature. Something grown from a tiny seed. We just keep watering and pruning, and weeding (we're done fertilizing- LOL!) and this love just gets bigger and more beautiful. So Congrats to Shanna and Al for beginning their journey with their own little seed!

Your thought to ponder today: think about YOUR relationship. Are you watering and pruning and weeding as much as you should be? There is a wonderful piece of advice I once heard: If you go into a marriage giving 50% expecting to get the other 50% back, you're wrong. It is when you give 100% without fail, without question, it comes back to you threefold. Too often, we waste our time complaining about our spouse - just stop for a day and spoil them rotten - watch what happens.

J

Happy "Everything's Broken" Tuesday!

Well, that's what I'm calling today. I will be spending the day running from repair shop to repair shop - yesterday I heard a hissing sound coming from the laundry room and when I walked in, I was sprayed head to toe with water coming out of the washing machine. I was smart enough to fix that but then my dryer stopped drying. I have to go find a part today for it. Shortly after that, I pulled out my Oreck hand held vaccum (you know the ones that will pick up a bowling ball? :p) and it shorted out - stopped working. So I'm wondering what went down yesterday where all of my major purchases decided to go on strike!!?? I refused to go in my scrapbook room and play for fear that I had a cursed hand!!

On a brighter note, I did finally accomplish a personal goal of mine and that was to read a classic novel one day. Yesterday I read Swiss Family Robinson to the kids. We got 1/4 of the way through and they went off to play so I finished it myself. Hard to believe that was written in the early 1800's!

Here's today's layout - not one of my favorite designs, but the photos and plaid paper are some of my favorites!

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Patterned paper (Chatterbox), Lace and Brown ribbon (Making Memories), Flowers (Prima and Bazzill), Rhinestones and Magenta strips (Doodlebug), Chipboard letters (All My Memories), Letter stickers (EK Success)

Thanks for stopping by! Time to run damage control! Wish me luck!
J

Introducing Debbie...

Here she is! This is Debbie (the owner of Little Scrapbox where I work) Her hair is actually blonde with red chunky highlites but the meez are limited on hair.


And just for fun, I made this new one of myself and how I feel about the constant maintenance of my children this summer:



Have a great day!
J

Middle of July already???!!!

Where is this summer going?? It's already the middle of July! I have enjoyed this summer so much so far - the weather has been perfect. I've been loving the cooler summer days - as a matter of fact, we're expecting another one of those gorgeous days from my top 10 list today. Windows are open and I'm ready to inhale the breezes. Ahhhhhh...

As I sit here listening to my cockatiels sing me another redundant "Adams Family" tune, I ponder the day today. Today would be a great day to begin my major life overhaul. I think step one will be to eliminate all the negatives in my daily life. Anything that makes me feel or think negatively must go. Then once I am cleared of negative energy, I can move forward into the positive. Yep, sounds like a plan.

Here's a layout I did Friday with photos I took this past Father's Day. Why is it that ice cream always tastes better from the ice cream man?


Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Patterned Paper (Basic Grey), Ribbon (American Crafts, Title (Thickers by American Crafts), Ice cream truck (Meri Meri), Epoxy ice cream cones (Jolee's), Rhinestones (Doodlebug)

The last thing I want to show you guys are these avatars called "Meez" that you can make at photobucket.com (which by the way is where I host all of my photos for FREE and then use them here so they are bigger and brighter) Anyways - you can custom make these little people by picking different eyes, hair, noses, clothing etc... So, I made this one of myself which you have all seen here on my blog:


And I LOVE animated me cuz I'm flawless and thin and having a great hair day!
Now for those of you that know my friend Bonnie you will see that this one I made for her is pretty darn close - I especially love that she's wearing Crocs cuz Bonnie wears them all the time!! Take a look!


Today, I'm going to make one for my friend Deb to use on her blog. Go make one and have fun!!


J

Going back to the 80's or 90's...

Yesterday, I spent most of the night filling up my iPod with tons of songs from yesterday (and by that, I mean the 80's and 90's) and it made me so sad. Well, sad in a good way. I was instantly catapulted back to times that were more carefree - when everything revolved around what dance club I would be going to that night. Times of no responsibility, fast expensive cars, and ironically, dreams of the future. Here I am in the future - all grounded in suburbia with the role model husband, 3 great children and some family pets. At one time I could say the minivan was in the driveway, but I've come to learn that one can only play the role so far. I replaced my minivan with a Dodge Ram and a Dodge Charger - I must have one outlet (or two) for feeling cool and young again! So I guess what I'm getting at is that if you really stop and think - we are living in the past right now, meaning, one day we will look back upon today and wish we could return. We will instantly remember how young we were, how times were simpler (if you can believe that) and how gas was only $4.16 a gallon!! Ahhh yes, the good ole days - so shouldn't we pause today and give thanks for our youth, the simplicity of life, and our low cost of living??!!! Think about it.

On to scrapbooking - here's a layout I completed at Archiver's the other night. I just love this animal print paper from Reminisce. The pics on the layout are from when Kalea was in preschool - she will be in 5th grade this fall - Am I way behind or what???!!


Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill) Patterned Paper (Reminisce) All animal embellies (Paper Bliss) Title (Carm's Creations) Brads (can't recall) Flowers (Prima) Leaves (Hand cut and embossed in Cuttlebug)
J

The slowest scrapper in the west...

Yeah, so I went to Archivers last night for 6 hours of scrapping and I only completed 3 (2 page) layouts!!! I know, right???!!

I'll be posting those pics later because I have to leave for work in 15 minutes and I'm trying to get a whole cup of coffee down me before I leave.

While you wait, here's a little something from last year. This was a big seller at the store. I love the title.


Nothing to ponder today either (now I have to leave in 7 minutes!) so take today and spread some sunshine!


J

20 minute layout!

I've always wanted to do a layout that was all cardstock but as you can see, somehow patterns make it in there every time. This layout seriously only took 20-30 minutes once I added all the doodling around the edges. I love the colors in this layout - probably my favorite combo ever - maybe I'll repaint my scrapbook room like this layout. I love the punch of pomegranate that the flowers give - they were a last minute add on - I wasn't planning on them being there.

I was inspired by this layout in Simple Scrapbooks magazine (July/Aug 08 page 36 by Elisha Snow)


I love this layout! The photography is outstanding. Love the simple orange stripes in the middle of all that white.

OK, so TGIF!!! Who has big plans for the weekend? Not me (never me) - Tonight I'm meeting my friend Bonnie up at Archivers to crop (and my SIL) - tomorrow I'm working at the store all day and Sunday is my little nephews first birthday party - Happy Birthday Jakers!

If any of you watch "So You Think You Can Dance" just know that I am crying today because my Thayne was kicked off. Loved him - he just stunk of personality. I love people like that. You know the ones - the ones with the contagious laugh, the best stories, the constant smile on their face. When I grow up, I want to be one of those people. Visibly happy to the core. Maybe for today I'll practice being one of those people - can you see me smiling ear to ear right now?

Have a great Friday everyone!
J

Teenagers, so confusing, so AMAZING!!

My oldest will be 14 next week. That's him in the layout above. I must say that the teen years brought about lots of things I wasn't ready for. Changing voices, shaving, "the talk"... Perhaps what took me by surprise the most was how independent he wanted to be - how he pulled away from me and titled me "uncool". I give him his space but I don't like it. I'd rather be plopped on his bed listening to all the details of what's going on inside his handsome little head. Though he fights to find himself and the man he is on his way to becoming, I still catch glimpses of the little boy he's leaving behind. Some days, when his guard is down, I find him willingly entertaining me and making me laugh so hard I could just explode. When his little cousins are around, you will find the kid in him too. He is amazing with little kids. They are drawn to him and his beautiful soul. I made this layout against his wishes (Tim: "You must throw away all pictures of me" Mom: "Yeah, OK")to show the world what I see when he puts aside the world of teenage mayhem and comes back down to earth where the rest of us live. Man, I love this kid!

J

If I had a Top Ten list...

If I ever had to come up with a top ten list of things I love in life (cuz you never know when someone will approach you unexpectedly and offer you $5,000 if you have a list in your purse) then I'd have to say off the top of my head this would be it:

1- Breezy summer days around 81 degrees (days just like today) Man - I wish I could bottle them - true bliss.
2- Days when your hair and makeup turn out perfect (definitely NOT today)
3- Animals, especially baby ones!
4- Full belly laughs from my kids - the unrehearsed, unplanned kind that make their face squish all up and sometimes cause milk to fly out their nose.
5- Time with friends who make you laugh until you pee.
6- Unleashed raw creative energy. The kind that puts you in your groove and makes you feel like you're the next Michaelangelo (even if it is only scrapbook paper!)
7- Feeling admired - who doesn't love that feeling?
8- Driving in my car (on a perfect day like the one listed above) with my car just washed and shining, the windows down, and my favorite song blowing my speakers out.
9- Date night with my hubby - which hasn't been in a VERY long time.
10- Dancing - I soooooooo love to dance - especially at Boogie Fever night club!

So that's my list in a quick minute. I honestly have a Top 100 list but who wants to read all that!!??

So what's on your list? Think about it - it's guaranteed to put a huge smile on your face!

Nighty Night!

J

Another warm summer day...

Here I am at the computer doing my morning ritual. Wake up, make coffee, surf net and update blog while enjoying said coffee...ahhhhh, heaven. Taking that last bittersweet sip of coffee, I realize it's time to actually start the day. I fear the days - another mega long stretch of time until Tony gets home - *sigh*

Today I actually have a piece of a plan - Kalea was looking through the new American Girl Doll catalog and saw this cute little bed she had to have for her doll but it's like $80!!!! That's right friends - EIGHTY DOLLARS!! For a bed that fits A DOLL. So I'm crafty right? I can make that for sure. And just like that, there's a piece of the day taken care of, plus, it gives me and Kalea some time to do something together because we never do. She's always got her nose in a book or her laptop.

On the scrapbook front, here's a layout from 2 weeks ago (excuse my messy floor beneath the layout)- I held on to this paper for so long because I couldn't find the right pics but I think this works - totally not what I had in mind for the paper but different and crazy. I like that. That's why I love scrapbooking. You can take funk and mix it with classical or floral and mix it with paisley and it's all good. It's just paper after all.



Your thought to ponder today: Where do I want to be 6 months from now? What do I want to be doing? And then formulate your plan and do it! I know for some of you, your plan still includes raising the little ones (how awesome are YOU?!!) but maybe you could tweak the question a bit to be "Where do I want to be creatively in 6 months?" I know a couple stay at home moms that could be teaching classes - making big money for little time. Think about it. Are you up for change? Are you content with the way things are now? Me? I'm in the mood for a major overhaul. I don't know what it is, but it's coming - I feel it. I've felt it for awhile now but the lazy girl in me is fighting the ambitious girl in me. I think as women (who generally operate from the heart) it is very hard to take the reigns on our own life. It's so easy to point out what others need to do to help themselves but so hard to take our own advice. Shoot, if I took my own advice I'm sure I'd be a millionaire right now. So, I recently bought myself this bracelet which I wear quite often that says "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change". I am reminded all day long to stop fighting certain things and just go with the flow 'cuz that's the way it is. Know what I mean? Self growth is a huge deal for me. I just kinda feel stalled on the side of the road right now. But soon enough, someone's gonna pull over and give me a jump start and off I go. So for all you ladies traveling my road, if you see me... pull over and give me a hand!

Have a fun day today!
J

Jon Bon Jovi... CALL ME!

So my girlfriend scored very last minute FREE tickets to Bon Jovi last night - my class was cancelled - uh yeah, COUNT ME IN!! Can I just take a moment to rant about how freakin' hot Jon is? I had kinda crappy seats but just knowing that was him jumping around down there on the stage...*swoon* So needless to say, I rocked out, drifted back to the 80's a couple times, and saw way more women my age than I cared to last night. Seriously... this would be the ultimate pick up joint for guys - a Bon Jovi concert. Thumbs up on the concert, and if you guys run into Jon, tell him to call me!

Here's a layout that I did last week when I was just putzing around. Please click on the picture to enlarge so you can see all the detail.

On today's agenda: grocery shopping of course. It's been on my agenda for 30+ days. I've just always got an excuse for not going. Today I'm gonna suck it up and just get it done.

Thought to ponder for today: Stay away from tanning beds!!! SERIOUSLY... if I had a dime for every 40 something leather face I saw at the concert last night, I'd have a nice chunk of change. Ladies - it is NOT attractive!!

So, I've been gone a very long time...

I just kinda dumped my blog for awhile and decided to pick it back up. I'm home with the kiddos for the summer and I'm only teaching classes for now. Bella cards are the hottest class for me - I have students coming from Lansing!! Cuh-razy!!! So the card above is just one card from my second series. Today I'm going to lock myself in my scrap room to try and bust out a wedding proof book for one of my next classes. I've been looking forward to designing it for awhile now. I just need to find something to keep the kids busy - otherwise, every other trim of paper I slice I will hear "MMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM! SHE/HE PINCHED ME!!!!" Some days I swear I'm not gonna make it. What do other Moms do with their kids all summer???? I can't afford to be taking them places every day. I'd love some feedback from you guys. You would think that working at home is the greatest thing ever. You don't have to trust your kids with a sitter (let alone the cost of AFFORDING a sitter) but it's actually harder. I cannot work undisturbed. So all you home bound Moms - give me a shout out!

J