Sketches on Wednesday

Well, a really big WOOHOOO!!  The November kits are finally, finally put together and orders are out swirling around in cyber space.  Now the chant - no substitutions, no substitutions - begins.  I hate making substitutions, but what are you gonna do?  And for you card kit people - or maybe people who want to make Christmas cards for the near-and-dear, just wait for November's card kit.  Yum!  No, seriously, I may need to keep one for myself because heaven knows it's the only way a handmade Christmas card may come from this house!

Okay before I head to the scarier-than-Halloween-pit that is my studio, I better issue you today's challenge.  Don't you love the sound of that word "studio?"  Sounds so much better than the basement that I share with the kids and their toys, where legos rule, "storage" (aka crap is stacked) is any open corner and Wii games are played.  One sounds so inspirational, filled with cute things and the other sounds horrifying and all things anti-creativity.

So here's your jump on creativity with today's sketch, from PageMaps.  It's an easy one to make into a double if that suits your needs better.

Upload this layout by Sunday evening to be eligible for Fall Treats.

Alrighty then, I'm off for the pit.  Oh, look at the time, I'll have to leave in 30 minutes to get the kids, darn it.  Should I even bother then?  Sigh, yes, because I'm that kind of person - dangit anyway.

Monday Challenge

Were you on pins and needles all weekend, wondering did she scrapbook or did she complete the November kits?  Geez, I hope not.  For the record I did neither - I worked on the kits but they are not complete.  I had the desire to scrapbook but not the energy.   That was Saturday. 

Sunday was the crazy day.  Got up, fixed breakfast. I knew we would be close on time coming home from DH's office picnic, so enlisted the kids to do some vacuuming, clutter clearing and bathroom washing.  This turned out to be a good thing as we arrived home 10 minutes, seriously, before the party was to start.  So I set one kid on the wood floors that I forgot to get done, one doing some last minute clearing and one to do Toddler-Wrangling.  I called in the pizza, while DH took off to pick-up the cake and ice cream.  It all turned out.  Pizza was hot, ice cream was cold, cake was yummy and fun was had.  By the time everyone left and the youngest of the birthday boys was finally in bed (he had only gotten a 30 minute nap) it was about 9:00 PM and I was done too.

So Monday dawned bright and early.  Chores are done.  My work-work is getting started and depending on how the day goes there may be time for play.  With a late volleyball practice; it STARTS at 8:00 PM, I may need to play to stay awake so that I can go get the volleyball-er.

Will you need a challenge to play with?  Of course - it is Monday after all.  Still in the challenge-block-mode, I rely once again on Elizabeth Kartchner's "52 More Scrapbooking Challenges."  Today, find inspiration in a print design.  You can find a print design in anything from book sleeves to product logos to postage stamps.  Use it as you see it, or alter it slightly to fit your layout needs.  With this challenge please include your inspiration as well as your layout when you link it up.  Layouts are due on Sunday evening.

Finally, last week's winner and a little change in the selection process.  I will be drawing a name (still using Random.org) from those who complete any layout from the weekly challenges.  Do more challenges, get your name in the drawing more than once.  I know time can be at a premium, so whether you're getting three layouts done a week, or one (which is still four layouts for the month and nothing to shake a stick at) you'll be eligible for the weekly drawing.  With the new rules laid out, the winner from last week:  Kai!!  Kailyn, you'll get your goodie in your next kit.  If you haven't had a chance to check out last week's layouts, click on a thumbnail and take a look - they were all great.

Off to keep plugging away at work-work.  Have a great Monday, ya'll.

Saturday Challenge

Okay, so it's a last minute challenge.  I call 'em as I see 'em, unfortunately, I'm seein' 'em when they're not there.  I could have sworn I posted yesterday.  This is not a good sign.  I mean memory function for me is all relative lately anyway, but I was so sure I'd made a post yesterday.  SIGH

So, for today - you get free license.  Create a layout, any layout and get it uploaded by Sunday night to finish out this week.

I've got some nice color from games today (one 4-0 win, one 4-0 loss.)  Too bad the color is lobster-red.  And too bad it's only on the left side of my body.  And for added character, only certain exposed parts.  So the next time I go for shorter sleeves and shorts, like, oh say, tomorrow at DH's office picnic, when it'll be almost 90, I'll look spectacular.  I'm sure it'll make a marvelous impression on my husband's boss and colleagues.  Super fun.  We'll also celebrate our three-birthdays-one-party tomorrow - I'm seeing lots of running, lots o'food and hopefully much fun.  Tonight, I'm trying to weigh my options - scrapbook or November kits which I seem to have hit the wall with. 

Check in Monday to see what happened. :)

Have a great weekend.

Sketches on Wednesday

Hey, lookie there - it's not a one-hit week for challenges.  This makes two!  I'm on a roll now.

First though, 10 years ago at just around 5:30 AM my youngest (or so I thought) child was born.  He likes his birth story - he was my fastest labor and delivery in just under three and a half hours.  Yes, that's start to finish.  He loves that he was the fastest.  And because he now has a little brother, his coveted "youngest" spot has been changed to "middle," which he shares with his older brother (who's also feeling displaced as he liked being in the middle.)  He's a boy without a position.  So, to my "fastest" Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Okay, onward.  It's looking cold and windy - ah, and raining now.  Wonder if we'll have soccer practice.  If we do it's gonna be miserable for the boys.  Here it's the perfect kind of day for hunkering down and gettin' cozy with a kit and some photos.  To make life better, a sketch.  A sketch from Nuts About Sketches, no less.

This layout is due, linked up, Sunday evening.

Have a good Wednesday.

Monday Challenge

So first, must deal with this, Key West Cupcakes.  That is the link for the cupcakes I posted a photo of last week.  Apparently, there are some out there that are miffed because I didn't include the recipe.  So there you go.  One note, the "filling" shouldn't be spread on the top, you should inject it into the cupcake, otherwise your frosting will just slide off.

Sorry about the one-post last week, time got away from me and before I knew it we were at Sunday.  Between the regular chaos we celebrated two birthdays (and Jack will turn 10 this Wednesday), I can't believe Matthew is 2!  DH and Kallene took a road trip out to Kansas to celebrate his brother's 50th birthday over the weekend.  The boys and I stayed home to have a quiet celebration of birthdays and soccer on Saturday (1 win, 1 loss).

Saturday night two of my sisters and I enjoyed a little crop time!  I'm taking another Big Picture Scrapbook class Adventures in Scrapbooking:  Use Your Stash.  Some good ideas and I've created some goals to try to reach for the remainder of the class.  Outside of using older kits and trying to wrap up 2004 photos, I didn't meet the other goals.  But I got two layouts done this weekend and one last.

The above layout is the one I spoke of last week.  It's definitely not a favorite, but I can't figure out, other than starting over, where to fix it.  But it's done.  The class is reminding me trying to achieve perfect is just gonna weigh me down and keep me from plugging away.  So, whatever it's missing, will stay missing and I'll call it done.  Older kit, 2004 photos - good.



So I've been working - plan to do some more at some point this week; more 2004 photos and try to incorporate some of my other "stash" goals like use my Cricut, work with more paper and use embellishments (a difficult area for me), and make us of the many stamps I have.  We'll see how it goes.

But it's Monday and besides my own challenges, it's time for you to have one of your very own.  Too bad I'm in a challenge-issuing block at the moment, so I go to Elizabeth Kartchner's "52 More Scrapbooking Challenges" book:  today create a layout and let song lyrics inspire you.  Is it the theme of the song that inspires the layout?  The title?  Journaling the lyrics to fit the theme?  Have your layout uploaded by Sunday evening to be eligible for Fall Cookies.

Speaking of Cookies - last week's winner is Deanna!  Congrats!  Now ladies, while I'm sure Kristin and Deanna would prefer to have their 50/50 shot at winning intact, let's face it, it's more-the-merrier when cropping.  So come and play and win!

I've had a productive day, I'm off to enjoy it a little longer before I get the monkeys.  Have a great Monday yourself!

  

Monday, Monday

Don't those look good - plus they're filled with a key lime cream. My daughter made them last Monday for a little BBQ we had for Labor Day. And they were scrumptious!

You know since it was Labor Day, we labored - over the burgers and brats, over those delish cupcakes and then I labored a little over some layouts. I'm taking another Big Picture class, this one is Use Your Stash - like I use anything else - but, I'll take any challenge to get a little cropping in. So over the Labor Day weekend I did a layout a night - it was nice, I need to make that a habit. (The "take whatever time you can" is also a philosophy of the class). Below are what I managed to accomplish. I have another layout, though I'm not feelin' it, so when it's done I'll share.

Since we've had a little break since the frantic pace of My Croppy Summer, it's time to start up weekly challenges again to get you all moving. I like the idea from the Big Picture class that scrapbooking doesn't have to be something you do in one shot. If you only have 15 minutes, use it to pull papers, crop photos or mess around with photo layout. Take the pressure off yourself for getting it done in one. In the spirit of the class let's do a little Use Your Own Stash challenge for today. It's a gorgeous pre-fall day today, the light has changed, the trees are starting to turn and there's a breeze with a touch of cool in it - even though temps will be up near 90. Using your oldest fall or fall-feeling papers, add scraps of ribbon and a handful of odd buttons or brads, create a layout. Link it up by Sunday and you could win a little treat.

Speaking of treats - all goodies from My Croppy Summer are on their way (thanks for your patience) either straight up and out, or tucked in among your kits.

Have a happy Monday.

End of Summer Clearance Sale - Going on NOW

I am so excited for this sale - I could hardly wait to hit the send button! It's time to move out some inventory to make way for all the great new lines coming in for the Fall and Winter and the upcoming (yes, they'll be here soon) holidays! I've created some new tabs under Table Scraps to help you find all the good stuff, plus there is super-fantastic pricing on all kinds of items. AND just to make shopping all the more fun, some delicious extras when you buy! Here check it out: * For every $30 spent get a Second Helping Paper pack for FREE * 25% Return Reward coupon to shop another time * Everyone who purchases gets their name in a drawing for a FREE kit Now, what sorts of goodies will you find? First, so excited for these: Scrapper's Boxes! * Buy the $50 Scrapper's Box and get $100* worth of goodies OR * Buy the $25 Scrapper's Box and get $50* worth of goodies (*full retail value of items) Scrapper's Boxes can contain anything from: TV Dinners to Second Helping Paper Packs to Full packages of brads, buttons, stickers, chipboard, and other embellishments. Each box is unique, but all are fun-filled. You'll find big savings - 50% and more - in the Last Chance section on: * TV Dinners * Paper packs * Embellishments (brads, buttons, rub-on, chipboard) * Alphabets There's even 25% savings on recent TV Dinners and Paper Packs and Embellishments. The Super Summer Clearance Sale runs now through Monday, September 6th. Go now, shop, save, stock-up and earn FREE goodies and a chance to win!

My Croppy Summer Winners

Is it Friday? Is it a long holiday weekend? With the holiday on Monday does that mean no soccer games? Yes. Yes and Yes!!! Woohoo! Too bad what's on tap is work, work and more work. :( Regardless, it's a long weekend and I'll take it. Today dawned gorgeous, though a might chilly at 45 degrees when I sent the kids off. Trees in the yard have patches of gold in them (already) and the fire bushes in the backyard have some leaves looking red on the edges. My poor plants on the front porch are all wilty; I think from the cooler nights. Even the squirrel that has been gone all summer is starting to head back this way in search of food. I think fall is making an early appearance. "My Croppy Summer" was eight weeks, 31 assignments and one photo challenge that 22 people participated in. Congrats to all of you who worked hard; layouts were amazing, plentiful and inspirational. Now for the final winners:

• From Week #6 - Linda R! the typical drill for getting the good ;)
• From Week #7 - Nitasha! Your goodies should also be in with your next shipment
• From Week #8 - Kai! From the Photo Assignment on your homes - Briel. Loved the peek into your home. Thank you.
• The Random Winner from weeks 6, 7 and 8 - Molly! It was so great to see your layouts up there. Great work. Loved the "Grandpa" layout; beautiful photo.
• And finally - THE GRAND PRIZE goes to: Maggie!

Thank you all for your wonderful contributions and active participation. If you are a winner and haven't received your prize it will be in your upcoming kit, or if you're not a member it will be in the mail when monthly kits ship around the 12th.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Thursday Musings

See these.

This is the Devil's Food. Satan's Sugar. Undeniable goodness of the Underworld. Oh, sure, people this side of Hades call it Salt Water Taffy. You might think there are cute little ladies in white hats and smocks surrounded by sparkling stainless steel making this. Don't' be fooled. If chocolate didn't exist in this world, this would be my favorite candy. When chocolate isn't in this house, this is my favorite candy. Forget that, there IS chocolate in this house now, but it's the taffy that I reach for; and reached for too many times this week. Its sweetness. Its gooeyness. Its chewiness. It's melt in your mouth utter divine-ness. Its poundage-adding-ness. Not good, but soooo good. I took a little blog-break after My Croppy Summer, recoup and re-energize. I still have awards to announce and hope to get that today or tomorrow. With the Dark Master's Dessert gone I'll have more focus - more jiggle on my body, but more focus on my mind. If you didn't have a chance to check out the Blue Plate Special yesterday, I leaving it on sale for those reading this today. Wander over and take a gander at the basketful of October Afternoon - there's only a few left - and the price is irresistible for this packed kit. Be on the lookout for a Super Summer Clearance sale at Apron Strings over the weekend. Great prices, awesome Last Chance deals, additional savings with a coupon code and shopping rewards. Other things to look out for - Apron Strings is a sponsor for Ali Edwards' relaunch of her website. Newly designed and easier to navigate you have to go take a peek HERE. You can enter to win an Apron Strings kit HERE; go leave a little love ;) You might win - Kristin did when she went over to Elle's Studio last month. :) And finally - today is my husband's and my anniversary - 21 years. Dang. I have officially spent as much time with my husband as I did with my parents. 21 years ago neither one of us had a clue what lay ahead. We've come quite a ways from those "kids" we once were. We have our private jokes. We've struggled. Soared. Laughed. Cried. He's been my rock. My support. My best friend. The love of my life. I can't imagine going through this life with anyone else at my side. And I look forward to what may lay ahead of us. I thank God for the paths that brought us together. Christopher, I love you. Thank you for the life you've given us these past 21 years.