Winner, Winner Turkey Dinner

. . . or Cookie Jar Treat, but that doesn't rhyme. No assignment for today, but I do have a couple winners. We'll do the summer couch potato pick, where all you have to do is be a follower - remember, tell your friends to come follow this blog and they could win. So could you for that matter. ;) Today's winner is Follower #77 - Natalie Fenstermacher. Natalie, your treat will be included in your next kit shipment. The other winner I have is from last week's challenges: That winner is Linda R. Linda, you know the drill; Kit. Prize. Fun. And finally, my layout of the day. This one covers both the assignment from yesterday and my purple-inhibitions from a couple a days ago. Today's assignment might be more tricky since I'll need a picture from today and my desktop, which is connected to my photo printer, is giving indications of being dead and all. So we'll just have to see.

Enjoy the day off to catch up on the first two layouts.

My Croppy Summer Assignment #2

A hot (naturally) and happy hello. I'm seeing a couple cute layouts from yesterday's assignment; keep 'em coming. You have until Sunday evening to get them in there. Now, don't forget that Sketchy Thursdays weekly challenge is being sponsored by Apron Strings this week. Submissions are due tomorrow (I think), but check the blog to be sure. Looking for more inspiration and chance at some scrumptious goodies, check out Melanie's blog, where she has a week's worth of challenges based on summery photos. There just might be something from Apron Strings there as well ;) Which brings us to today: Create a layout that incorporates at least three different types of alphabet fonts - stickers or rub-ons. These would be scraps that we're trying to use here. This week's challenges will be due Sunday evening, for a shot at a Scrappy-goodness. I am taking on my own challenge via a Big Picture class and produced the following two layouts last night while sitting in front of an open window. The breeze eventually became cool, around 11 p.m., but it worked because that's when I got rolling on these layouts. I still have a challenge to use purple (I'm purple-impaired when it comes to using it on my layouts), but hope to do that tonight along with the assignment from today.

Did you notice - more recent kits :) This time they are the Bella Blvd Man of the House papers from June's Smaller than a Breadbox kit. WooHoo. They are simple, but they are done!

Alright then. You have your assignment, I have mine and we'll meet again tomorrow.

My Croppy Summer Assignment #1

To those who know me - via newsletters, email and this blog, you may recall that Autumn is my favorite season - Love it! A close second is Winter - Love it. And, if there were only three seasons and Early Spring rounded out the year - life would be great. But alas, that is not the case, someone out there deemed that there should be the hideousness (yes, it's a word) of Summer. I hate it. (yes, it's a strong word, but in this case no other word will do) I hate the heat. I hate the blinding brightness of mid-day. I hate the stillness of it when the world is just baking at 90+ degrees; I mean for Pete's Sake even the animals don't move. Can I find anything good about Summer? My kids are home. Schedules are definitely uncluttered. And ice cream sounds better during this time of year than when you can actually make it outside on the back porch because the temps are freezing. The other good thing? I can crop during the day and because of that my mind whirls (more than it usually does) with ideas of things to do. So for the next, oh seven weeks or so, I'll be making Summer as bearable as possible with all kinds of activities here; pages will be completed, photos will be taken, games will be played, prizes will be won and fun will be had. I know that summer also means vacations for folks, so I'm taking a looser approach to these challenges - some weeks there will be daily challenges, some weeks only a few. It's more about getting done what you can, than completing everything. I'll let you know within each post how prizes will be awarded and when. Grand Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of My Croppy Summer, around August 16 or so; not sure on that date yet. You could also win a prize for doing absolutely nothing. You can be a big 'ol couch potato and still win. How nice is that!? So go tell your friends, or sign up yourself to actually be a follower of the blog because I'll be drawing names of the followers who'll win nice little treats. Thanks to Melanie, I'm going to attempt to use InLinkz to make uploading layouts a little easier and so that everyone can see what's up. I haven't tried it yet, so if it totally blows up in my face, we'll stick with the regular old "link up to the post" routine. :) If it works look for the little frog at the bottom of each post, click the add link and follow the prompts. If it works we should be able to see thumbnails of everyone's work for each of the challenges. As with any marathon of activity, stretching and warming up must be done. In that light, here's your warm up exercise for today - use this sketch (PageMaps) to create a layout; in the .jpeg archives April 2008. Easie-peasie. This, along with whatever else I post this week will be due by SUNDAY EVENING.

So go, unearth your supplies, round up your photos, crack your knuckles and sharpen your scissors! Here we go!

Dead Computers, Playing with New(er) Stuff and More

Is it Monday? It must be. My desktop is dead. Dead. And like a tightly sealed tomb it's holding all my photos captive. GRRR! But, I married a Techie and like Indiana Jones he'll swoop in there to rescue my photos (can you hear the theme music or is it just me?) Okay, that's enough for the bad side, I mean it's hot already (and I so hate the heat), so let's not make it worse by adding the downer of my computer. There are some bright sides to today. Like the following layouts I created over the weekend. Can you spot what's interesting about these layouts??

Did you notice? Can you tell? No? (More Indiana Jones theme music playing) They all use recent kits - well, the one top does - it's the October Afternoon Fly a Kite papers from the June Bigger than a Breadbox kit. Oh, my love those papers! The other two use July papers - the Bo Bunny Sun Kissed and Pink Paislee 365 Degrees papers from the Bigger kit! AND. AND . . . wait for it . . . the photos are from 2006. So, you say? Well, the kits I've been using lately are over two years old and the photos have been primarily 2002-2004. While this doesn't signal that my photos are caught up or that my stash of kits is this current, it is fun to actually work with new stuff, LOL.

Next - I loved all the clothing, shoes, purse, accessory inspiration and subsequent layouts that were created as a result of last Monday's challenge. I already told Linda, I want that purse, perfect ginormous size for a soccer mom! (Linda, I went to the site you so generously found . . . and oh, my, it could, will be dangerous. Very dangerous.). And Kai better hold tight to those shoes ;) And finally, to Molly - hurray on the journaling!! Keep it up. Finally, today is the kick off to My Croppy Summer! I'll do a separate post for that that will have all you need to know, including the first challenge. Happy Monday - here's to live computers!

5 on Friday

I write today's post from deep underground - well, okay maybe 10 - 15 feet, but it's the only cool spot in the house, plus it's got TV. The 98 degrees when we drove by the YMCA's temperature ticker about an hour ago meant mommy'll be happier if she stays cool. Though when I put the 1 y.o. down for a nap up in his room, it wasn't as hideous as I expected; it actually seemed warmer on the main level. So I sit here contemplating the likelihood that I'll leave the couch and move over to my scrap area for some serious cleaning. Right now, motivation is low and ice water is lukewarm. Not a good combination for getting things done. So intead, I'll post the final challenge for this week - with its late arrival I'll make the due date for this week's challenges SUNDAY EVENING (instead of Saturday.) With a sweaty-headed nod to the heat outside, here is your 5 on Friday:

• 1 sheet cardstock - red, orange or yellow
• 1 sheet patterned paper with circles or waves
• 1 set epoxy embellishments (you can create your own if necessary with Diamond Glaze
• 1length of trim
• 1 set of metalic embellishments

Double entry points for scrapping something "hot." Remember, besides journaling and title no other ingredients may be used. This along with the other challenges from this week are due on SUNDAY evening to be eligible for the Cool Treat.

Thought I'd share my recent layouts. Yes the photos are duplicates, though the layouts are different; one for the family album, one for the child's. I messed with the slide show for way, way too long - so instead of a nice rotating image, you get them all laid out. Stupid technology!

I actually have nothing planned for this weekend. Nothing! I don't know when the last time that happened. Wow. Wonder what I'll do with it? Find out Monday ;)

Sketches on Wednesday

Today, housekeeping things:

1. Winner from 6/7 - 6/12 is Molly! Molly you're fat-free summer treat will be in with your next kit.
2. Winner from 6/17-6/18 is Linda R! Linda your tasty summer treat will also be in with your next kit.
3. To all my Cricut users, Designer Amy is hosting two, TWO, drawings for the Home Decor Solutions cartridge. Participation is super simple: 1) spread the word and then link back to her blog 2) become a follower. Please check out the details HERE.
4. Apron Strings is sponsoring a week, starting tomorrow the 24th, over at Sketchy Thursdays. And we all love Diana's work over there don't we? Yes! We do. So go, grab her challenge for your chance to win.
5. Today's challenge, in honor of the sponsorship tomorrow, a Sketchy Thursday sketch.

This sketch, along with Monday's challenge and Friday's to come, are due by Saturday evening. Be on the look out for the summer-long challenge "My Croppy Summer" starting next week, lots of fun planned, lots of chances to win, lots of layouts done!

Monday Challenge

How was everyone's weekend? Any special plans for Father's Day? My husband took our two older boys fishing - caught three, kept one - a salmon. So while it sits in my 'fridge I'm trying to figure out what to do with it tonight. My younger sister also hosted a nice dinner for our dad - yummy Mahi and salads. Delish. I enjoyed a little crop-time at Archiver's on Saturday, meeting up with Designer-Jennifer, her SIL and another club owner here in Colorado. It was semi-productive for me, completing two 2-pagers. Then it's back to the grind on Monday. Ick. It's hot, I'm sweaty and the house needs cleaning, but not gonna happen in this heat. Uh-uh, not gonna happen. So after this post I'm heading for cooler temps in the basement. I got in the mail last week a nice supplement to my challenges, because frankly there are times I sit down to post and it's just crickets - not a thing happenin' in the brain. It's CK's "52 More Scrapbooking Challenges" by Elizabeth Kartchner, of Dear Lizzy fame. Looks fun. Looks off the page. I think you will enjoy when I post challenges from it. Like today :) - don't tell me you're surprised. Today's challenge is to be inspired by an outfit; its color, texture, pattern, shape, whatever. For instance, I have a great black a-line skirt with white embroidery along the bottom with crocheted trim. If, IF, I were a sew-er on layouts, I might choose black cardstock and sew some flowers and flourishes that mimicked the look on my skirt. I also love the shade lime green, so I might draw inspiration from any number of shirts I have in this color and create a layout using that lovely lime. So, go dig through your closet, or look down at what you're wearing now and draw inspiration from it for today's challenge. This, along with any others from this week, will be due Saturday evening. Finally, for today (I'm melting, seriously, I'm like the witch on Wizard of Oz - only I'm not as nice.) "My Croppy Summer" will be starting up - I just need to pick the date. Right now it's looking good to start next Monday and running through mid-August. Lots of challenges, lots of prizes and hopefully, for you, lots of completed pages. So, "Get your motor runnin', head out on the highway . . ." Why Steppen Wolf is playing in my head, not a clue. The song makes me think of summer road trips though.

AS on Bella! oh, and 5 on Friday

Big, Big, news! Apron Strings is on the Bella Blvd Blog (now that's a tongue twister), but it's truly and honor to be featured on the Bella Blog during their "Month of Giveaways." I have long been a fan of Bella papers, so cute, so versatile; the "Honey, I'm Home" line is a top fave which is why it was in the January kit. I loved that down-home, cozy winter feel about it. It's what appeals to me in all their papers . . . just life - simplified! If you want a shot at winning the Smaller June kit, with the "Man of the House" line in it - I mean it is Father's Day this weekend, this is the sign you need that it's time to create a layout about the Dad in your life -- head over to the Bella Blog and leave a comment. It's that easy! While you're there browse their gallery, which is sorted by paper line (totally love that!) Grab a blinkie to show your Bella Love and be a Fan on Facebook. Okay, so I had to know - of their fantastic 13 lines released, Apron Strings has had seven! Seven - all truly loved and, yes, I'm hoarding some of it. Well, really, what happens when it's gone?? Hmm. . .guess maybe I should participate in my own "Stash Challenges" I'm so fond of, huh? Speaking of challenges - I have today's! 5 on Friday, and I think I'll pull from the aforementioned Father's Day:

• 1 sheet cardstock
• 1 sheet patterned "manly" paper
• 1 set metallic embellishments
• 1 set chipboard - keep it naked, if it starts out that way
• 1 length of felt trim (if you don't have felt trim, any trim will do)
• BONUS: extra entry if you make it a "manly" layout as well

This challenge and yesterday's are due to be linked up by Saturday evening to be eligible for your weekly Treat.

Remember to leave your comment over at Bella!

Have a great weekend!

I'm here. . .

I'm not dead. I'm not sick. My kids haven't driven me insane. . . anymore than I already was anyway. I'm not even on vacation - and by that I mean away from the house and all that beckons when you're home. Nope, it was just plain old shipping. But that is wrapped up and I'm moving on to July stuff - which is totally fun! I can't wait to play with them and, if I can get ahead of the game, show pieces of them here. :)

Let's start with a couple blog shouts to start:

• Sous Chef Jennifer has posted her extras from her June Apron Strings work. After completing her layouts she still managed to make all these cards. An amazing note, she used her October Afternoon kit down to just a small 4x6 piece of paper! And if I know Jennifer, she couldn't throw it away and it will appear on something. :)
• Sous Chef Amy posted the most adorable stitched card a couple days ago on her blog. On top of the awesome work she does on layouts for Apron Strings, she's an accomplished card maker and her ideas would be very "liftable" to help you use your scraps down to the last drop; just like Jennifer!
• Finally, fellow-blogger Melanie is hosting a photo challenge (not in photos you take, but in finding inspiration in photos she posts) in honor of National Camera Day on June 28th. Plan to follow along on her blog for daily posts. You could win a nice little prize for playing along. I know of at least one piece of her "offering" ;)

Alright, so you need your challenge-fix for the week. (I will be posting the 5 on Friday, too). So here you go. The sketch is by Sous Chef Gloria! Always great work. She's one of the Card Chefs, but you can totally create a layout from it! That "image" space is perfect for one, two, four or six (small but well placed) photos. Let's see what you can create! Would love to see some of my card kit followers out there link up for this one (or any challenges for that matter!)

This challenge along with tomorrow's will be due Saturday evening to be eligible for the weekly prize.

Final note: be on the look out for some serious scrapbooking opportunities coming soon! "My Croppy Summer" is heading this way!

5 on Friday

First things first. Props to Jennifer H. for having her layout selected on Club CK for this post. Scroll down about six layouts and you'll see hers - under Yellow. WooHoo Jennifer! Congrats. Second, I've got plenty to do today, starting with helping my daughter oversee our part of the neighborhood garage sale (she's got big plans for any money she makes). Luckily the weather is cooling off big time and rain is coming, so we won't be sitting in the sweltering heat we've had lately. With the boys off fishing again, maybe I'll get a little scrap-time in sometime. Probably not gonna happen today though. (shrug) I'm sure you all are looking for your 5 on Friday and here it is:

• 1 sheet cardstock - neutral in color: brown, kraft, white or black
• 1 set of patterned paper SCRAPS (no whole sheets allowed)
• 1 set of alphabet SCRAPS (no complete set allowed)
• 1 set of left over buttons
• 1 set of ribbon SCRAPS (no lengths longer than 12" allowed)

Hey, it's garage sale day - clear out the bits and pieces! Remember this along with the other two challenges this week are due by Saturday evening to be eligible to win a Cookie Jar Treat.

Have a super weekend!

Sketches on Wednesday

Oh, billing day. Part one is over; the printing, replying, running, more replies, more printing and more running because the ran off down the hall. Tomorrow begins part two; the boxing, labeling and sealing. So because I love multi-tasking, for fun I'll piggy back that stuff with getting the DH and older boys out for fishing trip #2 on the hottest day of the year; record tying or breaking. Super fun. But, there are more fun things on the horizon, like today's challenge with a sketch from Nuts About Sketches. It's fun, it's six photos and it's two pages! Now that's hot. :)

This along with the rest of this week's challenges are due on Saturday evening. Stay cool!

Much Ado About Monday

Oh, it's Monday and even though there's no school (insert happy dance here), there's a plate full of things to do. None of which I am currently doing, mind you, but the list is there nonetheless. I'm blaming the heat and humidity for my lack of productivity. I was productive in the scrapping department last week - completing my Basic Grey June calendar page, finishing one 2-pager that I started my last "session" and then doing four more 2-pagers. And. . .drum roll. . .my December Daily photos are now happily in their mini album! And the Bonus. . .I started printing off the remaining photos for my Project 365 '09. It felt so nice to get to those things! This weekend will be a repeat, after I get shipping done. And Kristin, I don't know. . .the laundry sitting and waiting for washing certain smells worse than fish, so it's entirely possible the boys were sent home. Though not before capturing six delish White Bass. I hear they cooked up nicely. The fish, not the boys. :) Now, let's see:

• Check out Jennifer's blog here, for the cake that goes with her pink poodle invites. How cute is that! I think cake might be on order for dinner tonight. White cake with Cherry frosting.
• On June 18th, wander on over to Bella Blvd's blog to win an Apron Strings kit and see some layouts from some gals you may know. Don't worry, I'll remind you. :)
• This week over at Sketch Inspiration, you can grab this week's sketch challenge, a sneak peek of Apron Strings' Sous Chef layouts based on that sketch (a couple anyway, I said "sneak"), but there's a shot at winning an Apron Strings kit there too.f
• Have you been following along with Kristi's June Journal on her blog? It's a great way to snapshot the end of school and summer break for this year. Once a day photo and a quick layout make a nice way to remember this summer.

Let's see oh, winners from last week. Shoot, no, two weeks worth. What the heck? How did I miss that one? Okay, well here you go:

• 5/24- 5/28 - Winner is Molly! Your goodie will be in your next shipment.
• 6/1 - 6/4 - Winner is Deanna! Your goodie will ship with your order; I think you have another prize, too.

And finally - today's challenge; I can just get it in. I'm sweltering here in the heat and humidity, so work with something "cool." Create your layout using cool tones: blues, greens, crisp white, purple. I'll give you a bonus toss in the drawing if you scrapbook something cool. This will be due, linked, by Saturday evening.

Hopefully, it's cooler where you are. Happy Monday.

5 on Friday

You know I thought about this post at least three times today, but was quickly distracted by various things. So, because of the lateness, this challenge along with the prior two from this week are due, linked to the various posts, by Sunday evening (instead of the usual Saturday.) I've been lucky enough to enjoy a good part of the day scrapbooking with my sister. She showed up around 1 pm and we sat down to work. I finished up one layout, did my June calendar page and have the better part of another layout stuck down, and it's only 6:30. Prime cropping hours are still to come. Especially since we've eaten dinner and have made a run to DQ for a cool treat. Tomorrow night I'll be scrapbooking some more with two of my three sisters! Things are very laid back with the DH and two older boys are out fishing for the weekend. Here are you five goodies for today:

• 1 sheet cardstock
• 2 sheets patterned paper
• 1 felt embellishment
• 1 chipboard embellishment

Remember, outside of journaling and a title, only the five ingredients above can be used on your layout.

Hope your Friday is the start of a great weekend. Here - no soccer! No volleyball! No school to prep for! And only half the family! Scrapbooking here I come! (Yes, I miss my boys, but I know they're having a great, no shower, eating whatever I wouldn't want them to be eating and enjoying all day on the lake kinda time.)

Sketch on Wednesday

Short and sweet on this second to last day of school for my kiddos. I'm attempting to help DH get ready for his annual "boys only" fishing trip. He and our older sons, meet up with DH's brother and some other friends for a few days of fishing, cookouts and no showers. Sounds like fun. Not. Today's sketch comes from Sketchy Thursdays, one of their more recent ones.

Like the other challenges from this week, this one is due by Saturday evening.

Happy Wednesday. Next time we chat, I should be a summer-vacation mom.

Mon. . Tues. . Wed? Challenge

Monday. Holiday. Tuesday. Slipped by. Wednesday. Sketch as usual. First - soccer. Both boys, in two separate tournaments, did not make it to the championship brackets, though both played well and their teams did a great job. Now, we push on to tryouts this Thursday and Friday and we can call it quits until July. I refuse to think about how short a time that sounds. Second, join Kristi Bergin-Smith (designer, student, mom, wife extraordinaire) is hosting her annual June Journal on her blog. It's another fantastic opportunity to document your daily life. If you haven't had a chance to take part in this type of activity, I highly recommend it! Next, if you participated in Melanie's blog hop, did you check in to see if you won any of her great prizes - one of which was a goodie from Apron Strings :) Okay, so onward to today's challenge, so I can move on to tomorrow's. Create a layout using papers you keep passing time and again when searching through your stash. No passing those papers by this time!! Link up your layout by Saturday evening to be eligible for Treats. Hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday and that your short week has started off nicely.