My American Honey

Many of you who follow my blog know that Cortney graduated from 8th grade. But you probably also know that she doesn't go to a typical school......and doesn't go to a brand new school because she has moved on to high school. Instead she goes to a different wing of the school. Her teacher for the past 3 years has loved her like no other teacher I've ever known. She has shown Cortney the greatest respect and has accepted her just the way she is. She has allowed her room to grow and blossom and for that I am extremely thankful. This teacher, Miss Amber created videos for the 3 students who graduated this year. Each one was different....each one was personal. She loved these kids like they were her own. Cortney's video included the song, American Honey by Lady Antebellum. The song is about growing up, changing, moving on. My girl is changing, blossoming, coming into her own. I attribute a lot of those changes to Miss Amber. And now I have a new song to cry to every time it comes on! ; )

I used Noel Mignon's kit from last year called, "Love Story." I loved the rich reds and earth tones in this kit. I cut the circles, accordion circles, and title from my Cricut machine. The circles were cut from the George & Basic Shapes cartridge, the Accordion circles were from All Occasion Cake's cartridge, and the Title was cut using the Storybook cartridge. I pleated the half circles to create these dimensional pieces.
I used a JustRite stamp for the jar of honey. It is from the Preserved Borders & Centers set. I colored it using my Copic markers. The word honey was stamped with a Papertrey script set.

Thank you for allowing me to share my family with you. I am thankful that I have this creative outlet to express myself.........thanks for caring and "listening!"

Have a wonderful weekend! : )

A LO and a Giveaway!

Good morning to you! Happy Thursday! It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a week away! To me it represents the kick off to the holiday season! : ) So I will soon be busy getting my house decorated......and I suppose at some point I need to start buying gifts....eh? ; )

I have a LO today of my cutie pie son eating an ear of corn. Weird topic to scrap isn't it? And apparently, I thought it was cute to take a picture of him eating corn.......twice in his life! The first one was when he was 16 months old and the second one was taken recently. I have to admit though that I loved how his recent picture came out! His blue eyes and dimples just melt my heart! I used Noel Mignon's newest kit, Dear Diary and my Cricut machine. The Country Life Cartridge was used to cut the ears of corn and the title.
I love layering papers and stitching right over them with my sewing machine!

I love the polka dot paper......it sort of looks like corn, doesn't it?

Since Country Life is by far one of my most FAVORITE cartridges, I thought I'd give one away to a lucky winner! What do you have to do? Just leave a suggestion........kind of like this is a virtual suggestion box! IS there anything you'd like to see here? Things I can do to make this place a better place to visit? And if you aren't a follower, I would love if you did! Become a follower and you double your chances of winning this fabulous cartridge!

Please leave your suggestion in my "suggestion box" by Saturday night at 9PM CST. I will randomly select a winner! If you are chosen please leave a comment here within 3 days, or I will need to chose another winner.

Thanks so much for stopping on by! Your visits truly mean the world to me! : )

Dear Diary, Halloween, and Inspired Blueprints......OH and new furniture too!

Could my title to today's post get any longer? Seriously?

I have a LO using Noel Mignon's Dear Diary kit and a sketch from Inspired Blueprints. I love how sketches take the thinking out of creating a LO. For me, the LO is the toughest part! I chose pictures of my guys carving their pumpkins and Kyle using the Cricut Cake machine to create his cupcake masterpieces! I kept the LO fairly simple and just added a few embellishments here and there.
I did a bit of layering here...........

.......and some journaling here........

And for those of you who stop here frequently......you know how goofy obsessed I have been with getting new furniture in my living room. (Maybe one has a tendency to get a little crazy when one hasn't gotten new furniture in 18 years..........maybe.) So drum roll please........here is my living room before the new furniture arrives.

....and here it is after!! Soooooooooo what do you think? (OK , even if you don't like it.......lie like a rug! The furniture can't go back anyway! LOL!)

And that's all I have for you today! I am off to work even though I have a scrappy hangover from the weekend. Spending 72 hours crafting with girlfriends until the wee hours of the night will do that to ya! : )

Have a GREAT day!!!!

Lil Monster!

Good morning and Happy Halloween to you!!! I am busy getting the kids ready for trick or treating and cleaning from last night's pumpkin carving! I have a LO today of my cutie pie fur baby, Skippers. Honestly, he is the best dog I've ever owned.....he is so tolerant and gentle hearted. He is such a love! Just look at the adorable face! (Not that I am partial or anything!) I used Noel Mignon's 31st kit from last year and my Cricut machine to cut the monster. (Lil' Monster Cartridge) The banner was also cut using my Cricut machine. (Country Life cartridge.)

I am hoping to get some pics of the kiddos today in their costumes! I will share those tomorrow! Happy Halloween everyone! Be safe and happy trick or treating!!! : )

Mini Me!

Good morning to you! I have a LO today to share with you of my two guys. The picture was actually taken in 2008 when we were in Disney. When I was going through my photos it struck me how fast Kyle is growing up. Just two years later and he is about a foot taller, voice deeper (although still cracking.....think Peter Brady! LOL), teeth straighter (thank goodness for braces!), and more mature. (At least as mature as a 13 year old can possibly be!) I want to slow time down......it makes me sad sometimes to think that all of his baby and toddler years are gone. Just memories. It makes me realize that I need to enjoy him now.....before he becomes a man and builds his own life. So Saturday he asked if we could decorate the house with my Cricut machine and vinyl......I stopped what I was doing and we did. "Bonding time" as Kyle likes to call it!

He truly is a miniature Brian. In so many ways. Even Brian sees that Kyle is a younger version of him. I married my husband almost 18 years ago because he has a positive outlook on life, he is extremely loyal, has such an incredible work ethic, has a soft heart, and he keeps me laughing......even after 18 years! Kyle is developing these traits. He works hard in school, has a huge heart, is extremely loyal, and has a quirky sense of humor! I adore these guys....in every way!
I used Noel Mignon's Office Party kit! (Sold out!) I also used my Cricut Machine and the Cindy Loo cartridge to cut the title and the tree.

Be sure to check out Noel's newest kit, Dear Diary. Pre-orders are being taken right now for Message Board Members! You can order HERE!

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Thank you for your kind words about my girl yesterday! It is the little things in life that make it sweet. : ) Have a great day!!!

New Challenge over at Noel Mignon!

Good morning! Hope you had a great weekend! After my weekend in Utah it was nice to have Monday off to catch up. My hubby and I had the opportunity go couch shopping and have a nice lunch out.......just the two of us. Cort had school and Kyle spent the day "shadowing" at a high school he is interested in. (Hard to believe he is in 8th grade!)



This week Noel is hosting a brand new challenge called, "Time Capsule." Since we just passed 10/10/10, she thought it would be kind of cool to scrap about life in 2010. Kind of a way to record the happenings of today. So I decided to make little pockets for 8 different categories of topics. Just pull them out and all the info is there! The title was cut using the Cricut Storybook cartridge and the banner was cut using the All Occasions Cake Art cartridge. I used the Lemonade Stand kit. (sold out)

.....oh, and did I mention I used LOTS of glitter? ; )

I used a Spellbinder's die for the butterfly and some remnants from the kit.

I aged the round metal tag with coffee........I am addicted to using coffee to age things!

I hope you can find the time to participate in this week's challenge!! I would love to see your version of a "Time Capsule!"

Noel is posting sneaks of her November kit......check it out HERE!!!

Have a great day! Off to work I go!

It's October! Free Gypsy?

Can ya hardly believe it's October already? Seriously? How the heck did that happen? This weekend I put out all of my Halloween decorations and got the house looking quite festive. It all looks so cozy and cute! So in honor of Halloween's arrival.....I created a lil' card the occasion! I used Noel Mignon's "31st" kit from last year. Her Halloween kits are always so much fun! This year's kit, Sleepy Hallow, sold out it one day! : ) I added some googly eyes to my very sparkly pumpkin..........cuz one can not have an eyeless pumpkin! That would just be wrong! ; )
I cut the tag with a Spellbinder's die and added a Thickers "b" and two small Jenni Bowlin stickers for the o's. I added some sheer ribbon to tie it to and added a pumpkin stick pin.

Have you tossed in your name for the TWO free Gypsies I am giving away? If you haven't yet be sure to click HERE to put your name in. I will use Random.org on Friday to select TWO winners! : )

Have a great Monday!!!! : ) Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me!

Parenthood....

Noel Mignon is hosting a new challenge this week..........to use a favorite TV show title as part of your LO. My favorite show right now has to be, Parenthood. It is one of those shows that makes you laugh one minute and cry the next. It shows how families can drive you crazy and yet how much we need one another. So here is my spin on the show.......
I used Noel's Office Party kit (sold out) as well as my Cricut machine and Opposite Attract cartridge for the title and "stick pins."

The ticket was Glimmer Misted, painted in white, and inked on the edges to give it a shabby feel.

My journaling reads:

Parenthood is tough. Tiring. Difficult. Rewarding. Heart wrenching. Wonderful. Tiring. Aggravating. All of these things wrapped into one. Our little family was created 15 years ago. We could never, ever, have imagined that parenting could be so tough. We live together day after day, and there are times we can barely stand the sight of one another, and days where we laugh until our sides ache, and days where tears are shed and hearts are broken. We can drive each other crazy, or are driven into each other's arms for comfort. At the end of the day, this is where our hearts are. Just us. Our Little Family. And as a parent......I wouldn't have it any other way.

Be sure to check out the other DT gals' inspiration this week!!! Hope you can play along in this week's challenge!

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Be sure to check back later this week! Lot's of exciting things will be happening!!!!! EEK!

Officially Fall.....

OK.....I believe the 23rd marks the first day of fall......too bad it is 90 degrees here and super sticky outside! But to honor this change of seasons.....I have a fall banner to share with you! I combined two of my favorite companies.....Noel Mignon's kits and Provo Craft to create the letters! I used Noel's Office Party kit (sold out) and PC's Storybook Cartridge to cut the letters. I did lots of Glimmer Misting, inking, and sewing!
I love the layered look of these letters.......this is truly my favorite font!

This lil' lovely is hanging on my fireplace........

Be sure to check out Noel Mignon's latest Halloween kit, "Sleepy Hallow!" A jam packed kit full of fun Halloween tidbits!!!

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My Dad and I, and the family had dinner the other night and told me he misses visiting my blog for stories about the kids and such. Lately, he tells me it's all "business." So here is a tidbit about my weekend coming up.....nothing too exciting....but here it goes! Saturday, Cortney is singing in her special needs choir at her school in the morning. It is fun to watch the kids get so enthusiastic! My girl has been practicing singing her version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," all week. Which if you remember from last year......is a "Christian" song! LOL! (She attends a Christian school and that's what Cort told me last year......; ) Afterwards we are heading to Indiana for some apple picking. Now mind you.....I am not a baker. At all. Every year we vow to make apple pie. This will be our 6th year. No apple pies have been made. Yet. This year will be different! My husband has printed out recipes for apple pie. We've been talking about apple pie, dreaming about apple pie........my son tells me he will be 80 when we actually make apple pie. 13 year olds are so cute. Well now we have to prove him wrong! I'll take pics.........maybe.

Have a great weekend! And as always........thanks for stopping!

Who Knew.....

In a million, zillion years, I would never, EVER have thought that my best friend would pass away. It will be a year this November since Jennifer's death. Unexpected. Tragic. A complete shock. She wasn't battling a disease, she died suddenly of meningitis......what doctors took as an earache at 37 years old. We grew up together and she was truly the one person in my life who always had the ability to make me feel like a rock star. She never judged, and she loved me unconditionally. She loved both my children and was Kyle's Godmother. We stood up in each other's weddings, shared the ups, as well as life's many downs. She was the constant in my life, even when things got turned upside down.

I have tucked my emotions away in a little "box" these past few months, but they are out in the open at the moment, raw. This Saturday, Jen's sister is holding a fundraiser to honor her memory. We will raise money for charities that Jen felt strongly about and remember her loving spirit. It has been difficult to say the least, to bring everything to the surface again. After Saturday, those emotions will get tucked back into their little "box" again. But in the meantime, I found these pics of Jen with my Cortney and Kyle in 2000. I decided to scrap them and remember...... I used a song from P!nk called Who Knew. It is one of those songs that brings tears to my eyes......

Noel's "Office Party" kit was used for this LO. (sold out)

I hope I did her memory justice............

New Challenge and a Tutorial!

This week's challenge is all about scrapbooking style. Do you ever wonder what defines your style? I floundered with mine for a long time. I tried emulating other scrappers and sometimes failed miserably! But shabby, vintage......this was comfortable. Me. My style. Noel Mignon described me as a technique scrapper. I guess I would agree......I love to experiment, play and see what comes of it. So not only do I have a LO to share of my dear grandma....AKA: Nonnie, but I also have a tutorial down below on how to create the butterflies I used on my page. (Sweet Sue kit was used).
The pictures were taken on her 90th birthday. And yes.....that is my sister on the right.....we kind of look alike right? : )

I used my Cricut machine and the Storybook cartridge to create the title. I also added Shimmerz to make it sparkle and a bit of machine stitching.

Here is one of my lil butterflies, using the technique I will show you in a bit! : ) The flowers were created with Provo Craft's new Quilling kits. Can you say FABULOUS! Love the dimension of these flowers! And I also added Shimmerz spray to these too!

Here is my large butterfly! I love the texture this has!

So, if you are interested in making these butterflies I have a little tutorial for you. Now I happen to have these old Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders, but you could use ANY butterfly die and embossing folder.

Once you have your butterfly die and embossing folders, you will also need clear embossing powder and Versamark.

Die cut your butterfly and set aside. Stamp the inside of your embossing folder with the Versamark Ink.....on one side only! Slip your die cut butterfly into embossing folder and emboss through your Cuttlebug or Big Shot machine.

Your butterfly will pick up the Versamark on only the raised parts of the embossing folder.

Dump clear embossing powder on top of it, shake excess off, and heat emboss.

Now it should look shiny.

Grab some Glimmer Mist......

.... and spray it to desired colors!

Take a tissue and remove excess Glimmer Mist.

This is what it looks like when it is done. I inked the edges in a dark walnut ink when I was done to distress it and shabby it up a bit more.

Here is another example using a different embossing folder. I actually used this butterfly on the LO, but used a smaller Martha Stewart butterfly punch to make smaller butterflies!

If you would like to see the other DT's gals and what defines their style head on over HERE!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!!!