Heart and Soul

Bella Bag back in June

2010-05-19T20:18:00.003-04:00

Returning to the working field has left me little time for ANYTHING. Somehow I managed a few layouts with my March Bella Bag picks and will be holding the crop the first Friday evening in June at Bella Art. Hope you like them!

Im in love....

2010-04-18T14:30:00.007-04:00

with ducks. Four of them to be exact. Only me. It doesn't take much to win me over I guess. I know I will eventually have to give them up. The longer I keep them the more attached I am. Who would have thought? I wasn't expecting to even like them never mind want to keep them. It just happened. How am I going to let them go? The hatching of these were amazing to witness. You could hear them chirp a few days even before they hatched from inside the shell. Once they cracked the shell and made a hole they rested for about 12 hours then continued to peck out for the next 12 hours. We saw this happen 10 times! After the first week we gave six away to a farm and kept 4. They get so excited to see me and follow me around the yard. Unfortunately Jack wants them for dinner and makes it very difficult to let them roam as much as they should. I was hoping he would get used to them but that is only wishful thinking. Such a great experience for all. I am going to miss them more than I ever imagined when they are gone... but never again !!!!!

March sneek

2010-03-11T09:27:00.002-05:00

The next Bella bag is almost complete. Here is a sneek at a layout done with the kit. Realease date to be announced soon... (we are up to 10 members!!!) and the crop with the bag will now be on Sundays...... Stay tuned. :)

Here they are.....

2010-02-01T20:08:00.006-05:00

Something for every season in one Bella Bag! Lots of handmade embellishments, patterned paper, flowers and buttons!Transparencies, rub ons, letter stickers, tags, ribbon...... you get the idea! Be sure to bring your sharp scissors b/c we will be cutting that paper up!!!!! Be sure to call Bella Art and sign up for next month to get a another hot Bella Bag!!!!!

February Bella Bag sneek peeks.....

2010-01-23T11:33:00.006-05:00

Here they are.... this kit is sold OUT! Sign up now to reserve your March kit from Bella Art.... here...... Bella Art As promised this months kit's theme is 4 Seasons in one kit so lets finish up scrapping 2009!!!!! I accomplished 6 layouts with this kit and one of them is a double layout. I rock!!

groovy girls

2010-01-16T12:18:00.002-05:00

I love using craft cardstock as the base of a layout. It is like starting with a blank canvas or a bare piece of wood. Sometimes I don't end up using it at all and sometimes it just makes the whole layout. Even though the photos I was working on were from Halloween the feeling I had when creating was more about my teenage daughter and her friends. Not little girls anymore but groovy girls. Have a great Saturday.

Complete December Album

2010-01-13T18:44:00.006-05:00

well... minus the journaling.... boy have I been slacking on that! I did promise to keep it simple though. I think everyone is sick of listening to me talk anyways! Hope this inspires you some. Bella Art class info coming soon... I promise. Lets start January catching up and completing our 2009 albums so we can start scrapping in 2010 fresh. Get out those photos from last year you never scrapped. The four seasons is the theme. Sneak peeks to come.....

Saturday Bliss

2010-01-09T12:59:00.003-05:00

I love Saturdays when nothing is on anyones agenda except to enjoy the day. Cold but sunny. A nice day to slide on the pool that is now an ice rink and sit by the fire. Enjoy your Saturday.....I am.

December Daily in January.....

2010-01-08T16:20:00.006-05:00

Slowly getting back into the groove of things after a very busy 2 months. I am not big on New Years resolutions but this year I need to make one.... and that is.... to not procrastinate. Not too much anyways. This years December album will be small but complete. A glimpse of what is done so far..... Sorry for the bad pictures my camera is not working at the moment... :( I hope everyone had a great holiday season!!!!

Meeting Justin Beiber

2009-12-20T17:24:00.005-05:00

Every teenagers dream right now came true for my little girl. Auntie Cheryl came threw BIG time. Singing a Justin Beiber song on the air, while waiting for him to arrive at the studio. Walking in to find a bunch of Lincoln girls just as excited!!!! Three very lucky girls!!!! Finding out just how tiny he really is.....and shy! The Awesome show!!!!!

Some lifts

2009-11-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

I love Megan Klauer's scrapin style and often lift from her designs. Thanks Megan! She also is an amazing photographer. You can find her blog here...http://meganklauerdesign.blogspot.com/ No one thought Danielle would wear this crown I made her... but she did! Instead of throwing it out I decided to add it to a layout.Thanks for the idea Auntie Paula! Oh, and most of these layouts use stuff from Studio Calico kits...Love that monthly kit! I need to try and get on their DT....that would be AWESOME!!!!!

For my friends...

2009-11-23T15:46:00.004-05:00

for Lisa..... happy birthday (much better than a card....right? and worth the wait) and for Isa.....so sorry these took me so long. Hope your mom likes them! XO

Things that make me soooo happy

2009-11-23T14:11:00.005-05:00

Jack, he is so adorable. He knows that he is not supposed to be on the coffee table and that if he sits on it and looks at me like that, he won't get in trouble. He really could not be any cuter. My studio is finally back together and I decided to reorganize it. I really could live here....just need heat and a sink...very lucky to have this area. Love Love Love my studio. Last is my new Christmas goodies that have inspired to me make another Christmas album this year. I am going to keep it simple this year.....right?....right. Looking forward to having Thanksgiving dinner at Tammie's this year with my dad and family. Very thankful for them all!

Maya Road Tree Mini Book

2009-11-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

using some adorable new Create Paper embellishments and paint on this book(available now at Bella Art). NO PAPER at all!!!! All of these photos were taken by Danielle on her school field trip. She is turning into a great photographer!!!! Wish I got to climb Mount Chocorua.

My Perspective

2009-10-23T12:01:00.003-04:00

Inspired by Ali Edwards, using lots of my favorite stuff,and all about me. So much cheaper than a therapist!!!

13 years ago

2009-10-23T11:56:00.002-04:00

today I had a little girl. She is not so little anymore in fact now she is officially a "teenager". Three inches and 10lbs in a year she is growing like a weed. Happy 13th Birthday Danielle! love you xo

October Bella Bag Layouts

2009-10-06T13:28:00.004-04:00

Here they are..... School Page Boy version: School page Girl version: I love the mist of orange paint on the page... this is a very hot technique right now. Art Work page: This page is the second half of the boy version page. Here it is side by side: Two more layouts that are not really school or fall related. I had to try tracing chip board letters for a title. Again, a very hot technique I have been noticing right now on many blogs. So easy! This one so far is my absolute favorite. I love the photo soooo much. She is such a doll! Hope you like them!!!!

Feild Hockey photographer

2009-09-24T13:11:00.005-04:00

That's me! I took a thousand pictures at this weeks scrimmage and I think they came awesome. My daughter didn't know it was me taking them until the game was almost over....which is why I probably got some good ones! I still cant believe she is going to be 13 in a few weeks!!!!Keep a look out for what I do with these photos and the contents of the October Bella Bag. Cant forget Matt... this is from the end of this summer. A rare posed shot. I must have bribed him with something good!!!

School is IN

2009-09-22T14:40:00.003-04:00

You have an assignment before class on October 16th. Go through your child's school work that you have saved in a box.... and pick out three or four of your favorite tests/ drawings/ poems or what ever, take them to staples and have them shrunk to 4x6, 5x7 or smaller. You can bring your own paper or they sell a variety of different colored cardstock. Mine were copied on to a cream color.The 5x7 drawing on this layout my son did was newspaper size. Too big to scrap or even store but so cute shrunk on a layout.... and so him! I did this over the years for Danielle's school album and we love looking back at it. It is even neat to see how their handwriting changes over the years. Happy Fall!!!!

October Bella Bag sneek peek!!!!!

2009-09-19T16:54:00.004-04:00

Now that the kids are back in school.... YEAH!.....and I have lots of free time(having one less house helps! HA!) I have been busy preparing the next Bella Bag. The Bella Bag Crop is on October 16th .... so... SAVE the date!!!! The theme is Fall/Back to school but not to worry because all of the patterned paper is double sided and can be used differently if you choose. The class is up to 10 regular people so this means if you are NOT one of those already signed up and want a kit you need to call Bella ASAP to get this months kit. ( 1-401-383-0199). Remember kits can be mailed or picked up if you cant make the crop and all kits come with printed layout ideas.

6 layouts and a mini book......

2009-09-01T18:31:00.009-04:00

All this from one kit. Just add a little paint,chalk, modge podge, ink, flock, and glitter. Not hard. Very fun and very messy! My favorite one first... The chipboard flower was painted red then I added fun flock and some glitter. It took some experimenting with adhesive and is not perfect but I am very happy with the color combination. The rest of the layout was designed around it.( Drying time required.) I painted the back of the flower with gesso white paint and used it as a stamp on the Color Core card stock. The pictures are tiny.... a little smaller than 2x3. I dressed up the rub ons stickers and paper with a little modge podge and glitter. I added a little Pearl Ex Gold to the modge podge here and painted the chipboard and around the circle on the beautiful creative Imaginations Antiquity paper. Chalk was used on the corners to add some light color to the paper. This could be a mini book with pictures, a journal with some paper added, or even turned into a little address book. So cute! I cant get enough of this 7 Gypsies Leave flocked paper. My favorite thing on this page is the little bit of red added to it. My mother taught me not to waste.... which I know I am bad with but not here! Use the negative space from that chipboard sheet. If it is too much glitter for you leave it blank or paint it any color! These pictures just went too well with this color combo. A little glitter on the edges... EASY! Journal on your layouts!!!! This was done in word and printed on my large format printer but it can easily be hand written also. I just copied and pasted my blog entry from mothers day here. All of the photos are wallet size.

Day One unedited

2009-08-27T13:24:00.005-04:00

First day of school for my little guy, didn't start off so great.The plan was to get there early but he didn't want to go at all.... so we were lucky to make it before the bell. A few tears and a lot of arguing but its over and I think tomorrow will be a better day. Thankfully it was a half day and good friends make everything better. There are a few more pictures but these two I think say it all. So much scrapbook stuff to come soon I promise! I am waiting for about 500 photos to come in the mail from scrapbookpictures.com. I am bursting with ideas using this months Bella Art kit for you! Cant wait to get back in the groove. On a sad note we found Patch(our very adorable bunny of so many years) not moving this morning. I am more upset than anyone else of course. It feels like a Monday to me this morning but it's not so... happy Thursday!

Sneak Peek

2009-08-17T10:50:00.001-04:00

The next Bella Bag is HERE!!! Start printing your favorite summer photo's now. The next crop is September 11th at Bella Art. My favorites in this bag are the yummy Prima 12 x 12 Transparency, ColorCore cardstock; white wash, Daisy Bucket Rub ons, and all the Creative Imagination goodies! Keep checking layouts to come ......soon.....! Hope you are having a great summer!

scrapping slump

2009-07-23T10:18:00.004-04:00

It happens to everyone in the summer right? Just not enough time or energy. I could think of many more excuses to give you but I wont. I will just share some photos that I downloaded this morning and will be scrapped at some point......in the future. possible Christmas card picture.....No? Notice how they are next to each other but not too close? ... and how each is posing in there own way? This picture is so them right now.... This picture is for my garden journal. Green Envy Cone Flower. A new addition to my garden this year that I hope comes back next year. Wouldnt this make a nice postcard? I have been trying to get a good photo of those 2 missing front teeth for weeks now but I always get a fake smile. Finally a good one! I love the water droplets on his face! There is a story with this one that involves Matthew's HUGE fear of these things that are all over the place down here. Dont want to forget.....that he makes me go with him everywhere even to the bathroom cause he saw one in there once.... I got them all to sit still!!!!!! Happy 7th Birthday to my little boy!!! What an awesome birthday party!!!!! Some say 7 is a little late to learn how to ride... but who cares? He decided he was ready and didn't give up until he got it. It is really great to see how proud he is to ride on his own! It reminds me of when he turned one and took off walking when he put on his first pair of sneakers. Where has time gone????? ps.... my scrap for hire album is done 60 plus pages......NEVER again!!!!

Summer fun at Fenway

2009-07-14T17:42:00.006-04:00

I have been to Fenway many times in my life. Never did I know any of the players names or stats or even know the ins and outs of the game. This time was different. I don't know when it happened or why but I am in love with baseball and the Redsox. Too funny at 42. I even have some tshirts and my own baseball cap. It started with me watching my son love to play little league and learning some of the basics then watching some close Redsox games on TV because of course....there is never anything good to watch on TV and getting to know and like some of the players. Now I am hooked. I know when and where all the games are and when I can't watch them I follow it live on my phone. Here are some of my favorite shots of the other night. Cant wait to scrap my new obsession! Happy Tuesday!

Busy bee

2009-06-24T12:37:00.002-04:00

this is what I have doing since my last post. Almost settled, if that is ever possible! I still have been finding time to scrap some... will post some stuff soon.

Catching up

2009-06-04T10:36:00.002-04:00

on a big job. No where near done but moving along. Hope these inspire you to get creative and catch up! Happy Thursday!!!

June's Bella Bag

2009-05-27T16:15:00.002-04:00

In the groove today with my Bella bag. Enjoy! Hope to see you on the 19th.

A New Home

2009-05-27T08:53:00.002-04:00

My potting bench has a new home, from my garage at 6 Middle Street to 60 Fifth Ave Narragansett. Looking forward to using it tons!

June Bella Bag Sneak Peak!!!!

2009-05-20T15:48:00.005-04:00

Lots of BRIGHT colors and texture in this fun bag!!!!! One awesome handmade lollipop flower with written instructions on how to make more and 2 unique vintage girl/boy prints on grunge paper by Tim Holtz machine stitched and ready to use. VERY limited quantities this month so sign up fast!!!!

Welcome Baby Boy

2009-05-18T19:20:00.002-04:00

No I am not having a baby boy again but I did almost seven years ago and this is a little clear mini album of his first photo shoot at one month old. These pictures were NEVER scrapped. They are hanging on my wall in a collage. The photos were taken by Gene Hutnak, Smithfield RI. As I recall it was a disaster of a shoot. He cried almost the whole time or wanted to be nursed and had severe eczema on his face that had to be touched up in every photo. LOVE remembering when he was so tiny.... well at 8lbs I guess not! My last DT project for Bella Art is complete!!!! Look for the new June Bella bag to be revealed this week. Lots of texture and bright amazing colors coming your way!!!!

Mothers Day 2009

2009-05-14T16:57:00.004-04:00

I woke up Mothers Day morning hearing Danielle yell "JACK!", ...SPOOKS!", outside my bedroom window at 7 am sharp. I sat up and said "Greg...Is that Danielle on the front lawn?" He told me she was doing something for me and to go back to sleep. Maybe she was putting a big bow on a nice new convertible, I thought. Matthew woke up next and immediately showered me with mothers day wishes, kisses and hugs. I had a beautiful handmade card tucked under my pillow that he proudly pointed out and I was amazed at how perfectly written the words were. When it was safe to look...out my window was this lovely rose petal message M O M with a heart. How sweet! She is a romantic just like me and knows how to win my heart. I recieved not one but two gorgeous hanging baskets from my husband and a beautiful blue sun catcher hand picked by Matthew. We went to Down City Diner for brunch with Granny, Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Ed then Daddy made my favorite Norchena dish for dinner. Such a great mothers day!!!

Growing....

2009-05-06T08:48:00.003-04:00

My seeds are progressing nicely. I have beeen nurturing them, keeping them moist and moving them in and out of the house and turning them. Yard work is done and looks great. The rain has helped everything along nicely. Today is a scrapping day, so hopefully I will have something scrap related to share later.... Have a great day!!!

10 years...

2009-05-01T10:35:00.003-04:00

This year is the 10th year without my mom. She is with me all the time in little ways though, and yesterday while working in the yard, these little purple grape hyacinthia's made me smile and happy because they were hers, came from her garden. I will always have them where ever I live because they remind me of her and make me happy. Happy May. Happy Spring. Remember not to take the little things for granted.

Happy Thursday

2009-04-23T10:13:00.003-04:00

I forgot how fun it is to use whatever supplies you want, when you want, not working from a kit, or having to use certain products or using things you only have enough to share. I am liking this scrap for hire project and I think I might just do some pages for me!!!!

Diving in to Spring and a HUGE project

2009-04-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

Trying my hand at starting some annuals from seed to hopefully spend less at the garden store this year and still have a beutiful bright full garden this summer. Diving in to a "scrap for hire" album by starting with page one.... a good day!

Opening Day 09

2009-04-21T10:33:00.002-04:00

Some of my favorite photo's from Opening day on Saturday.

Use it ALL up

2009-04-17T08:28:00.003-04:00

3 more layouts with my April kit!!! These are the Cricut die cuts you will get with the kit except for the letters which can be cut if you come to the crop. You have to have it now right? The craft paper is by Jillibean Soup. LOVE it. It is not in the kit but can be purchased at Bella of course. Hope this gets you inspired!!! Have a great Friday!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T08:55:00.005-04:00

Was it Easter or Christmas? The Easter bunny used to bring kites, chalk, jump ropes, coloring books, stuffed bunnies, and of course candy. Lots of peeps, jelly beans, and chocolate eggs were always in the baskets too. This is the year the true Easter Bunny was revealed... which meant the Easter bunny knew exactly what the little bunnies wanted and that he/she was in trouble if the basket was weak. The Easter Bunny passed with flying colors, except for when the bill comes in..... then the Easter Bunny will have to go to jail! Danielle has a new Spring wardrobe that she actually likes and fits, has already started reading the new books, has hung her new bird feeder, and had cadberry eggs for breakfast. Successful basket #1. Isn't that the most adorable skirt? I wish it came in mommy sizes! Matthew has almost completed his Halo mini figure collection, Marvel super hero collection, and has started his Lego agent collection. Successful basket #2. Grandma came over bright and early and added lots of goodies to the collection. New video games, clothes, mini figures.... looked more like Christmas than Easter. We learned from Grandma that peeps grow in the microwave. Matthew actually let me semi dress him up for church. We were the earliest we had ever been. The "fainter" was nervous but made it through without any trouble. After mass we were off to Auntie Doris and Uncle Vinnie's for some great food, relaxation, and play time with Samantha and Joe. More candy and goodies from Auntie Doris and Uncle Vinnie and Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Ed. Matthew and Joe could have cared less that it was freezing out.... I could not stop taking pictures of Matthew... his eyes were sooooo blue today! Auntie Cheryl learned all about Halo in depth.... Matthew talked funny like Ed all the rest of the day and kept us in stitches in the car on the way to Auntie Laura's. Daddy drilled Aunt Jean for ancestry information. One of these days he will be able to relax.... Aunt Jean is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. She is so full of life and energy. I love spending time with her and hearing her stories. There is nothing like a sister... Off to Auntie Laura's to see Gramps( who looked like a grizzly bear) and have a blast with a family Wii competition. Uncle Larry doing the Hula Hoop almost made me split a gut. OMG why did I stop taking pictures!!!! Awesome day, Awesome Easter, with an awesome family... We are blessed.

In the creative Zone...

2009-04-11T10:46:00.005-04:00

Had to whip up a gift certificate this morning for my fabulous mother in law. Wouldn't you LOVE to get this gift certificate! Lucky girl!! Still creating with my April Bella Bag kit. These pictures are from yesterday!!! A shout out to my 6 year old friend Ryan for taking this fabulous picture. His mother has taught him well!!! Have a great rainy Sturday!

The Bella Bag is Here!

2009-04-10T15:19:00.004-04:00

I am the coordinator of a new Scrap booking kit for Bella Art and the debut of the first bag is here!!! It is no secret that I love kits and have been wanting to start one for a long time. With the help of Bella Art my kits will have the latest and greatest products available on the market and will be packed with lots of goodies to get you inspired at an affordable price. Quantities are limited and they are going quick so get yours today! Details and a complete supply list can be found here... http://stores.bellaartonline.com/Detail.bok?no=5220 Layouts done with the kit. ***Note the egg dipper is NOT included.

Got eggs?

2009-04-09T10:03:00.002-04:00

I do! Somehow I eneded up with 7 children coloring six dozen eggs yesterday. Danielle was the leader of the pack and did a great job helping the little ones. My favorite part of Easter!!! Now off to scrap it!

Layouts

2009-04-02T07:08:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness AM i busy!!!!! I am working on a new venture for the art store. I am very excited about it!! More to come on that next week. I have been hired by a lovely lady to create an album for her husbands 60th Birthday in July. I have never done scrapping for hire before and am a little overwhelmed with all of the STUFF she gave me and wants to add. I might have bitten off more than I can chew but I will do my best. A lot to do today and not enough time EVER. A few layouts i did over the past 2 weeks to share. Strike a pose is my friend Kim's daughter. I stole this picture from her when I saw it. I just had to scrap it!!!! So excited that it is APRIL. I woke up this morning to some very loud birds out my window.

He is officially corrupted!

2009-03-31T09:03:00.002-04:00

I don't know how it happened! I do know that if school today has the kids write what they did on their 2 week vacation Danielle should write about this! SHE GOT MATTHEW INTO NEOPETS! They should have a support group for kids who are addicted to this site because my daughter needs help and now my son. At least they are not fighting!!!! They didn't even notice I was taking these pictures. Have a great Tuesday!!!!

Some March Home Decor

2009-03-25T12:25:00.003-04:00

These little frames sit on my kitchen window sill and I change them up every season with some of my new scrapbooking stuff that inspires me when I see it each day. The frames in the frame, are cut outs from the new Sassafras vintage yummy paper line. I added some stickles crystal glitter, ink, rub ons, and pop dotted them after I cut them out. The calender is all about Jack this month. He has brought so much joy to this family and is so fun. While I had my camera out I had to take a picture of the yellow and orange Ranniculus that were part of my centerpiece for the dinner party Greg and I had Saturday night before they die. LOVE these flowers. Have a great day!!!

sweet shoes

2009-03-24T08:55:00.002-04:00

I havn't bought anything for myself in awhile... but these were too sweet to pass up. Wish I had somewhere to wear them to everyday! 24.99 at TJ Maxx.

ATC # 7, 8, and 9... and that's all of them!

2009-03-21T09:00:00.002-04:00

Atristic Trading cards #5 and 6

2009-03-20T09:19:00.002-04:00

Spent some time yesterday with my dad, so I didn't get a chance to post. These cards are both on Hambly Clearly Overlays. Embossing on them is a cinch and doesn't melt or warp them. Transparencies are a different story. I made a flower out of one, by cutting circle shapes in three different sizes, and then used my embossing gun to melt and warp them for some dimension. Then I inked the edges and layered them. I like making my own flowers. Very FUN. Have a great Friday!!!!!

ATC # 4 Precision

2009-03-18T08:01:00.002-04:00

Danielle is definitely a perfectionist. She has been that way since she was little, from lining her barbies up in a row to her penmanship. She takes after her father :). I like when things are imperfect like the dew drops on this card. I realize after uploading this photo they are a little off and I will be fixing that. This card is in the center of the layout and is more beautiful than the picture shows. It is on a Clearly Heavy Overlay by Hambly. Have a great Wednsday. I am going to try and get some scrapping done today.

Happy St Paddy's Day

2009-03-17T08:27:00.005-04:00

Matthew woke up this morning and wanted to know why he had to go to school if it was a Holiday. I started to explain the meaning of St Patrick's Day to him an realized I didn't really know or remember other than, being proud to be Irish ( I am a little athough my husband doesn't like me to tell anyone) and drinking green beer. So I had to look it up and I figured I would share and save you the step. :) Your welcome. The real St. Patrick wasn't even Irish. He was born in Britain around the A.D. 390 to an aristocratic Christian family with a townhouse, a country villa, and plenty of slaves. What's more, Patrick professed no interest in Christianity as a young boy, Freeman noted. At 16, Patrick's world turned. He was kidnapped and sent overseas to tend sheep as a slave in the chilly, mountainous countryside of Ireland for seven years. "It was just horrible for him," Freeman said. "But he got a religious conversion while he was there and became a very deeply believing Christian." Hearing Voices According to folklore, a voice came to Patrick in his dreams, telling him to escape. He found passage on a pirate ship back to Britain, where he was reunited with his family. The voice then told him to go back to Ireland. "He gets ordained as a priest from a bishop and goes back and spends the rest of his life trying to convert the Irish to Christianity," Freeman said. Patrick's work in Ireland was tough—he was constantly beaten by thugs, harassed by the Irish royalty, and admonished by his British superiors. After he died on March 17, 461, Patrick was largely forgotten. But slowly, mythology grew up around Patrick. Centuries later he was honored as the patron saint of Ireland, Freeman noted. No Snakes in Ireland The St. Patrick mythology includes the claim that he banished snakes from Ireland. It's true no snakes exist on the island today, Freeman said. But they never did. Ireland, after all, is surrounded by icy ocean waters—much too cold to allow snakes to migrate from Britain or anywhere else. But since snakes often represent evil in literature, "when Patrick drives the snakes out of Ireland, it is symbolically saying he drove the old, evil, pagan ways out of Ireland [and] brought in a new age," Freeman said. The snakes myth and others—such as Patrick using three-leafed shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost)—were likely spread by well-meaning monks centuries after St. Patrick's death, Freeman said. (Related: "Snakeless in Ireland: Blame Ice Age, Not St. Patrick.") St. Patrick's Day: Made in America? Until the 1970s, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland was a minor religious holiday. A priest would acknowledge the feast day, and families would celebrate with a big meal, but that was about it. "St. Patrick's Day was basically invented in America by Irish-Americans," Freeman said. Timothy Meagher is an expert on Irish-American history at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He said Irish charitable organizations originally celebrated St. Patrick's Day with banquets in places such as Boston, Massachusetts; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina. Eighteenth-century Irish soldiers fighting with the British in the U.S. Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick's Day parades. Some soldiers, for example, marched through New York City in 1762 to reconnect with their Irish roots. Others parades followed in the years and decades after, including well-known celebrations in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, primarily for flourishing Irish immigrant communities. "It becomes a way to honor the saint but also to confirm ethnic identity and to create bonds of solidarity," Meagher said. Wearing Green Clothes, Dyeing River Green Sometime in the 19th century, as St. Patrick's Day parades were flourishing, wearing the color green became a show of commitment to Ireland, Meagher said. In 1962 the show of solidarity took a spectacular turn in Chicago when the city decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green. The tradition started when parade organizer Steve Bailey, head of a plumbers' union, noticed how a dye used to detect river pollution had stained a colleague's overalls a brilliant green, according to greenchicagoriver.com. Why not, Bailey thought, turn the river green on St. Patrick's Day? So began the tradition. The environmental impact of the dye is minimal compared with sources of pollution such as bacteria from sewage-treatment plants, said Margaret Frisbie, the executive director of the advocacy group Friends of the Chicago River. Her group focuses instead on turning the Chicago River into a well-known habitat full of fish, herons, turtles, and beavers. If the river becomes a wildlife haven, the thinking goes, Chicagoans won't want to dye their river green. "Our hope is that, as the river continues to improve, ultimately people can get excited about celebrating St. Patrick's Day different ways," she said. (Related: "St. Patrick's Day Fast Facts: Beyond the Blarney.") Pint of Guinness On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guinness, the famous Irish stout, are consumed around the world. On St. Patrick's Day, that number more than doubles to 13 million pints, said Beth Davies Ryan, global corporate relations director of Guinness. "Historically speaking, a lot of Irish immigrants came to the United States and brought with them lots of customs and traditions, one of them being Guinness," she said. Today, the U.S. tradition of St. Patrick's Day parades, packed pubs, and green silliness has invaded Ireland with full force, noted Freeman, the classics professor. The country, he noted, figured out the popularity of St. Patrick's Day was a good way to boost spring tourism. "Like anybody else," he said, "they can take advantage of a good opportunity." ATC today has some green on it! Have a great day.

AtC # 2

2009-03-16T08:11:00.002-04:00

This card is one of my favorites. The girl makes ice skating look so easy. Look at those muscles on her legs! I used Basic Grey Ambrosia papers, roughed the edges up a little with a steak knife to add a vintage feeling. The stamped and embossed frame for my word is by Technique Tuesday lost in louvre.I don't even mind that it didn't come perfect. Remember the big bag of strung pearls I got to play with? They made a perfect frame for this girl. And Stickles Crystal for sparkle on the ice. Strength. I need some today... Happy Monday.

Artistic Trading Card #1 unveiled

2009-03-15T18:52:00.007-04:00

I have finished my March project!!! It is not due until the end of the month but once I got started making these ATC's I couldn't stop. I spent alot of time researching them first for inspiration. I never saw any done on transparencies so I decided to try it( This is one of them with white cardstock behind it). Some of them are very bulky which I am not sure is kosher in the ATC world but I am happy with them as a whole and think they show my style well. I am not going to share them all yet, maybe one a day until they are due. My theme was ice princess, which really threw me. I found some vintage skating images that really got me inspired on my theme and played with them digitally to add them to my cards. Each card contains a word that is a quality of an ice princess. When I wrote these qualities down I thought to myself that Danielle has all of these qualities too, but she is in no way an ice princess.. per say. So I turned it into the theme for my layout...A picture of her dressed like a princess and the journaling reads... "You can be anything you set your mind to be little girl... even an Ice Princess". I really do believe this and I say it to my kids all the time that they can be anything and do anything they set their mind to. When Danielle saw the completed layout last night she said "WOW mom", and that is what this is all about for me... creating something that means something even if it is just a DT assignment. Ps A very good friend of mine... :) is selling some adorable one of a kind custom switch plates on Etsy. Take a look and add some flair to you home for Spring. I Just love the Hambly owl and bird one's!!! take a peek... www.kac4470.etsy.com

Say it isn't so....

2009-03-10T08:47:00.002-04:00

No Hall of Fame contest this year..... I have always wanted to win this, or at least be on the CK Hall of Fame. Not that I have tried too hard, but I have dreamed of it... :). On hold to be reevaluated is what they say. I have to work on getting published at least once. Submit submit submit. Got to remember to do that! AmazingPages@CreatingKeepsakes.com Maybe if I write it here I will remember and to write down my supplies, which is an even bigger memory problem I have.... Happy Tuesday, so nice to see the sun!

ATC Challenge

2009-03-09T10:36:00.005-04:00

This month's Bella Art design Team project is to create a layout and incorporate 9 ATC's on it. OMG, ATC's never done one! This should be fun and out of my box again!!! Look at all the goodies I have to play with for this. LOVE the stings of pearls. I drew the theme Ice princess. Time to get creative!!!!!

Friday night cookie fight

2009-03-07T17:19:00.001-05:00

I know it doesn't look like it from the pictures but by the end both kids had cookie dough in their hair... and all over the kitchen and Danielle had to retake her half hour shower. Love Friday nights when we stay home and just hang. Had to snap a shot of dad not getting involved.... :). Hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying this great weather while it lasts.

right now

2009-03-04T08:47:00.005-05:00

When I saw this layout http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r218/nzimmer/?action=view¤t=gotgum.jpg using the Stride gum wrapper, I knew I had to use it on a layout for Danielle. She never asks for anything except this gum. I gave her a three pack for Valentines day and you would have thought I gave her Gold. That and Neopets are her obsessions right now. I will take it for as long as I can..... :) Thanks Nikki Z for the inspiration!

Happy March

2009-03-02T11:02:00.006-05:00

Another snow day here in RI with school cancelled again.... Lots of quarrelling going on right now and I am hiding in my basement. Let them fight it out! Have you seen the trend with the spraying of paint on layouts? It has caught my eye. I tried it this weekend with Radiant rain I picked up at Bella Art. Boy does it have an odor. I need to play some more with darker colors. The last layout uses stuff from a Tally Scapper kit. I couldn't resist scrapping this work Matthew brought home from school. He takes after me with his bad spelling. Isn't the ground hog the cutest thing? It actulally has black construction paper behind it as his shadow. Love it.

Beach House Gust Book

2009-02-28T12:20:00.001-05:00

Finished

2009-02-28T12:10:00.009-05:00

It feels so good to finish a project. This one was very dear to me and alot of work went into this. It is not perfect but I am happy with it. I look forward to seeing what our guests will write and to adding some photos of our fun times with them this summer. I am hoping one of the guests names will be the Small's from Delaware(.... hint hint). Too many pictures to post so I made a slide show. Have a wonderful Saturday! Ps: Have you heard about this new site? One more place for me to follow. http://www.thescrapreview.com Launches tomorrow and has some give aways planned for the week, which who woulldn't love a chance to win something?....

I am out of my box....

2009-02-26T08:57:00.005-05:00

and into stamping. I will admit I don't do this often. I feel like I am in first grade again with all the stamping, coloring and cutting. It's fun. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what works and doesn't. Definitely need to sit down with Kathie at Bella Art. Copic Markers are the way to go for coloring stamps these days and I haven't taken the plunge yet with them. Using what I have (2 years and dusty) water colors and a paintbrush.

I woke up this morning with a great idea for the back cover of the book and am excited to finish decorating some pages and get to work on my ideas.

Happy Thursday!

Burnt eggs

2009-02-23T12:12:00.003-05:00

That is what you get when you are engrossed in a project and forget about the pot of water with eggs you left on the stove. Gross. I am almost done with the cover. I got crazy with UTEE today. I wanted to make sure the cover could withstand a lot of handling since I plan on leaving this book out on the coffee table. I love how it secures the rub on's, stickers and chipboard and the glass like finish. I took a few seconds to write a little welcome note for the beginning of the book and printed it out on vellum, went through my pictures to add some through out the pages, sized my heavy white paper to 8x8 and used one of the die cut flip flops as a mask to UTEE the back cover. I plan on decorating inside this space with something.... or journal here. Next is to embellish some of the pages with the stamps in the corners, add the pictures, the 7 Gypsies metal edges and then last to Bella for the binding. Quite the project but I am loving it!!!

Things

2009-02-20T08:55:00.003-05:00

don't always go as planned. The map. I tried distressing it, and matting it, and cropping it. No matter what I did I didn't like it. I scratched it. Maybe I will use it inside.....

Happy Friday

some sneek peeks

2009-02-19T09:37:00.007-05:00

of my project. I had a few hours yesterday to get the ball rolling. I was interrupted about 50 times by Matthew and his friend, but it is a beginning. I decided to go with the beach house guest book for my project. I picked up some cool stamps at Bella, some borrowed and some purchased on Tuesday. For the cover I wanted a map of Narragansett. I spent way too much time on line trying to find one I could print with no luck. Then I found a South County map I had saved and decided to go with that. It is not as close as I would have liked, but it will do. I decided to put the title of the book on the flip flop shape cut from a Hambly overlay sheet. To dress it up first, I embossed it with VersaMark and white powder using a Hero Arts background stamp. Can you believe you can use a heat gun an emboss on these Heavy Hambly Overlays! I tested it first and was amazed it didn't melt. Many possibilities here now for the future using stamps and these overlays. Then I decided to dress up the flip flop straps with the white CI button and pearls. I am still playing with some paper behind the button or under the strap for some color. The buttons will need to be secured with some thread also. I love all the dimensions going on on my cover. Hopefully I will get to play a little more today.

Febuary Bella Art Project

2009-02-12T11:13:00.005-05:00

This months Bell Art Design team project is to create using die cuts. From a hat, I drew an 8inch or so Accu Cut die cut flip flop, left and right. It's so cute. I immediately decided I want to create a mini album from this some how. I have 3 ideas in mind and have everything layed out to brain storm. How I am going to put it together is the most important part before I start to create. I could use rings, the bind it all, or simple tie it all together with that wonderful new orange teri cloth trim that screams summer. If I use the bind it all I was thinking of turning it into a guest book for the beach house, which I always wanted to make. The shape of it is so fun though, I think I will stick with it as a mini album. I am going to try and post my progress as I go along. I plan on using lots of stamps, paints inks and transparencies throughout. Now I need to go through my photos for a theme. Do I want to do a review of the years or one years photo's? Lots of decisions to make.... Happy Thursday and enjoy this nice weather while it lasts!

A Layout and some thoughts...

2009-02-10T09:45:00.002-05:00

Would I have taken this photo and saved it if I wasn't a scrapbooker? Probably not. I love all my candid everyday photos. My sisters think I am crazy with my camera always with me and with how many photos I have of my kids, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am grateful to have found the art of scrapbooking because I feel like It helps me appreciate and remember the everyday moments in life and the little things. Happy Tuesday

100th day of school

2009-02-05T11:45:00.007-05:00

project is due soon.I have been hearing alot of my friends talk about doing this with their kids lately but don't ever recall having to do it with Danielle or Matthew. Low and behold, he came home with this project on Monday. He has to gather 100 of something little and bring it in. I immediately said that should be no problem with all of the Lego's you have and his eyes lit up. He said "Do you think I have enough Lego men to bring in?" I am not poor for nothing!!!! He did his homework so fast last night because he couldn't wait to get his guys all together. Each one had to have the right head, legs, body, hair, helmet/head. This was quite a feet and took us into the start of American Idol. Then he said to me I wish I could take them in all standing up. He cant wait to show his collection to his class. I am not so sure the teacher is going to be thrilled with his Lego man selection. I don't think it is quite what she had in mind. Oh well. Here is a quick layout I did last week. It is a lift from one of the new Magazine's I got in the mail. I am trying to get a class together but just not very inspired lately.

Meet Jack

2009-01-28T08:38:00.003-05:00

A new addition to our family. A pure breed one year old Yorkie fell into my lap on Saturday. He is playful but gentile. Handsome as you can see. He knows how to sit and fetch. He is in desperate need of a good grooming and came to me all matted but he doesn't mind being brushed. We already named him Jumping Jack because when he gets excitied he can jump 3 -4 feet. He is adorable I cant believe someone gave him up. He gets along great with Spooks and its already like he has been part of our family since he was born. The only down side is he is not house trained or fixed. Yes I have my work cut out for me but he is so smart I don't think I will have a problem. So far not so bad. Barking isn't an issue either. He is very quiet. The only reason I can see why he was given up has to be the house training. Thanks Erica for the referal. Lots more pictures of Jack to come!

Hambly Obsession

2009-01-22T09:05:00.004-05:00

I have it. I use it on almost every layout. After cutting out the frame I used a lit candle and melted the edges to give it texture and soften the edges. I love the way it came out. I have been inspired after spending time at Bella Art to break out my stamps and embossing powders and get creative with them again. Who needs letter stickers or rub ons? Happy 70th Birthday Joan!!!

10 Words

2009-01-09T08:35:00.003-05:00

My little boy has a spelling test today as he does every Friday and the class is up to 10 words now. He can spell where why and know. Just this past summer he couldn't spell it on or at. This is amazing to me. I am so proud of him and thankful to his teacher who is awesome. She is strict but patient. I could never be a first grade teacher. Yesterday my Studio Calico kit came in the mail. I can't wait to play with it. They have the best design team. So much inspiration to get you going, I think that is why I love their kits. My Christmas supplies are still out and all over my scrap room. I am getting sick of looking at them so I better hurry up and finish that album. One of my goals this new year is to not leave a project unfinished or start a new one until I finish. So I am going to try and finish all of my unfinished projects by the end of January before starting a new one. Did I say that? I have 4 layouts sitting on my desk, my x-mas album, some stuff I need to do for Isa and one layout I need to design for Lisa. No problem! Now I just need to stop reading blogs and surfing and maybe I can get something done! Have a great Friday!

2009 Calendar

2009-01-08T12:05:00.003-05:00

I made this Jenni Bowlin calendar last year and decided to do it again this year. Each month I take a photo at the beginning of the month and scrap something about the month and add it to the calender. It doesn't have to be on the first of the month. Last year in the month of May I didn't have a photo so I used a sketch Danielle drew and scrapped that on the the calendar. It looks great even blank and it makes a great gift. I love that this years has a die cut shape. I purchased mine from Jenni Bowlin as a kit for about $20.00 but you can pick up your own calendar cards now at Bella Art for under $10 and use your own supplies. The cover was decorated using the package that comes with the cards. I decided to use some of my left over design team supplies from Bella Art to finish decorating the cover. A great way to use up scraps.I might try and do this every month.

Basketball season

2009-01-06T09:28:00.004-05:00

has officially started for both of my children. I feel funny with my big camera and flash at the games. I seem to always be the only one taking pictures. I took about 50 or so today at practice and these are my favorite of Matt and his cousin Joe. I am so glad they are close in age and get along so well. Joe is quite the basketball player. It amazes me that they can get baskets in at this age. Notice Matthew in the air in one shot. I love my zoom and my new flash....thanks to my wonderful husband! Lots of basketball layouts to be done this season. Go Hurricanes and go MB!

Christmas Day Photo Favorites

2008-12-29T12:22:00.001-05:00

Danielle in heaven with her new phone. The wonderful relaxing dinner at granny's. Enjoying the good company.

Christmas Eve Photo Favorites

2008-12-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

Matthew waiting by the front door for Joseph to come over for over an hour greeting everyone is at the top. My second favorite is my dad sitting on the bar. Third is my husband cooking. It was a fabulous night. The food was awesome, the kids had a great time. It all went by too fast.

3 days of snow!

2008-12-23T09:19:00.006-05:00

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The best weekend ever. Lots of sledding, and getting warm by the fire. Back to reality today with lots to do on my list. 3 gifts still to get, wrapping, cleaning and some decorating still to do all while keeping the kids entertained. I finished up an album I decided to do last minute for a gift and am scrapped out believe it or not. My Christmas album is stuck on day 10 and will stay that way until after Christmas. I am still journaling and taking daily pictures but have to get my priorities in line. I am so looking forward to seeing the excitement in my children's faces Christmas morning. I really want to set up the video camera this year. I haven't done that since Danielle was little. Happy Holidays everyone!!! ps. my Christmas journal day 1 -10 is up in my gallery at tally scrapper if you want a peak!

8 days and counting

2008-12-16T10:43:00.004-05:00

I can't believe Christmas is so close. I have been busy with lots of shopping, Holiday parties, decorating, Christmas cards, and of course working on my Christmas journal. The kids will be out of school on Friday until January and I am so not ready for that. Last Friday we decorated Granny's homemade gingerbread's. It is an entry in my Christmas book that could take up to 5 pages. I am going to have trouble deciding on which picture to use for sure. Granny made 6 gingerbread's this year. Danielle invited Gabby and Matt invited 3 friends Ryan, Gian Carlo, and Joesph. The day before he invited one more, his friend Ronnie without consulting me and poor granny had to whip up another gingerbread that morning. She is simply amazing. This year we had 2 visitors helping to decorate. Aunt Jean and daddy. I think we have been doing this for 10 years and it is the first time daddy has joined us. Being slow at work can sometimes be a good thing. I think next year now that he saw what he was missing he will make it a point to join us on this gingerbread decorating day. One good thing about the slow economy.

Tinkering Ink

2008-12-06T09:43:00.005-05:00

products ROCK! Just finished with my December Bella Art assignment early as usual. It was to create using a Creative Imaginations Colin car board book, with a birthday theme using Tinkering Ink papers, alphabets,Finery adornments,Tabs and tags from their Westminster line. I also used some Studio brown paint mixed with Pearl Ex to give it a shimmer, Hambly transparencies, Robin's Nest gold dew drops, some CI paper for journaling and some paper ribbon all from Bella Art. Unique products you can't find at those big craft stores. Love the way it came out and hope you do too! Happy Saturday

Quarantined

2008-12-03T08:38:00.002-05:00

sign should go on my house. 2 kids home sick and myself not feeling so great. It's a pajama day here. Maybe if I am lucky I will fell up to finishing a project or working on my Christmas cards. Danielle made the Basketball team! Well, they decided not to cut anyone. She is thrilled and so am I. She does better when she is busy. Such a great organizer like her dad. We had our first family meeting last night. Rules where layed out, chores assigned and allowances and consequences where discussed. Matt was to get 5 a week , Danielle 10. Right away he negotiated 6 and 12 with me because that's how old they are. How cute is that? I had to give in. No pictures from yesterday and the tree still is bare. Lots of time though right? No stress. The house smells good at least!

December First 2008

2008-12-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

I feel like tomorrow is Christmas. Time is going by that fast right now. I want to stop the clock. Pulling 2 all nighters, well one and a half in 3 days has not helped. Our tree is up today, no lights or ornaments, which is a first for this family. It is usually up and decorated the day after Thanksgiving. I want to go to New York on Wednesday with my sister to see the tree lighting in Rockefeller Plaza but It just isn't in the cards this year. Hopefully Kara will get some good pictures. Happy December everyone!

What are you thankful for?

2008-11-27T19:48:00.011-05:00

Normally I don't get too deep into what I am thankful for on this Holiday. It is a given... my family, good health, and all the things in life we are lucky to have. This year though, I am very thankful for more time with my dad. I had a great Thanksgiving at my sister Laura's then at my Auntie Doris and Uncle Vinnie's. We miss you Paula, Mike Hanna and Little Mike! Hope you enjoy my slide show! These pictures were taken for you. Some people were not very cooperative!! I think I may have even got my x-mas card photo taken today! Happy Thanksgiving again! T Here is my slide show of the day.I went a little crazy with pictures of dad.He actually had a glass of wine! I was shocked at that. Notice Larry's blonde hair and how thin Donna is? Oh... and poor Rachel!! I'm off to go shopping in a few hours! Crazy....

Feeling Guilty

2008-11-26T15:35:00.004-05:00

that almost all of my layouts are of Matthew lately. I have been trying to update my online albums at 2 peas.As I was going through layouts I worked on this summer but never downloaded, I noticed most were of Matt. I did this one quickly with my leftovers from my last Bella assignment. I had made the canvas a month before inspired by an Ali Edwards layout and had never done anything with it. Worked out perfectly.

I am gathering my photos and ideas for my car mini book and look forward to starting it maybe tonight.

Feels like a Friday today to me. Doesn't it?

Hope you all like the new look of my blog. I am quite proud of myself I must say.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Eat tons!

OLW #40 ENERGY

2008-11-25T12:08:00.008-05:00

My family got to see this electrifying energy in person for 6 days straight on a family vacation this summer in the Outer Banks, NC. It was great for me to get a break from all this energy. Lots of babysitters, one of my favorite things about family vacations. Hopefully we will get to vacation together again soon! Lots of great memories.

I am looking forward to putting my Christmas album together, taking photos everyday and journaling. Last year I joined Shimelle and I look forward to her great inspiration again this year. http:// www.shimelle.com/classes/389/journal-your-christmas.

Everyday Moments

2008-11-24T09:40:00.000-05:00

On the way to school this morning...

Mom: "Hurry Up Matt your gona have to get a late slip"!

Matt: "And why do I care about that?".

Simply precious.

Yesterday, I made sheets for Danielle and Matt to write their x-mas list on thinking I could somehow make a page with it after. My plan was to cut them down to 8x10 and add a photo of them writing their list. Matt was very into it and got very creative with his. He used the whole 12x12 and got some very cool illustrations down for Santa. I am going to have to rethink my page design now.

Number one on his wish list was an ipod VIDEO. Can't believe it. What happened to the very big star wars ship? Very torn about that request. He is only six. Wonder what Santa will think....?

Happy Monday everyone. Looking forward to Thanksgiving and no school routines for a few days.

Almost done with my OLW http://onelittleword.typepad.com/olw/ about energy. Will post later today.

crowdSPRING, hire Kelly Purkey for your new Community Marketing Manager!

Novemeber Bella layouts and Jenni Calender

2008-11-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

I know pictures from '06 that I haven't scrapped. Crazy with all the scrapping that I do. That is one of the reasons I like designing for Bella because it makes me get things done!

The calender is a free digital printout from Heidi Swapp's website I just happened to run across while doing my daily blog reading. Scroll down to the Nov 8th entry titled enjoy. Also some great thanksgiving tags for printing. http://www.heidiswapp.typepad.com/

Looking forward to working on my next Bella project which is a car mini book birthday project. I think I have 2 or 3 of Matthew's birthdays left to scrap so .... no problem!

5th layout

2008-11-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

this one didn't post the first time for some reason...

November Jenni kit

2008-11-18T11:01:00.000-05:00

5 pages out of this great kit so far. I added very little to them, just some of my recent vintage paper finds, pages from an old music book, a vintage ledger and and old almanac. They went so well with this kit. Can't wait to see what she has instore for December!

Hello Tuesday...

2008-11-18T10:50:00.001-05:00

I didn't take one photo on Halloween. I don't even remember why. Maybe it was because my kids were the same thing 2 years in a row. Well, technically Matt was Luke Skywalker last year and this year Bobba Fett. Thankfully my good friend Lisa took some, so I had something to scrap. As you can tell vintage stuff is my trend right now. This page was created around a book page taken out of an old Golden Book. Matthew made the bat in the background at school I crumpled it up and stapled it so it would fit. It was a very fun page to create! Lots of stuff going on.

Sneek Peek

2008-11-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

I love the feeling when I get things accomplished. I am on target with my Stories in Hand and my 25 Days Until Christmas books. They are not complete but started and I thought I would share to get you inspired! Last year I worked on my x-mas album as I went along and didn't have it all put together prior to Dec 1st and none of my days were numbered. This year I will be ready to roll and fill in each day.

More pictures and info to come!

Our Joe!

2008-11-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

Isn't this picture great! In Delaware after the elections it is their tradition to gather and read the numbers out to the public. This had been done for centuries and my sister tells me Joe has never missed it. He was there on Thursday with a ton of secret service men. My sister got this shot of him stepping out of his horse drawn carriage against secret service advice. The loosing opponents ride in the same car in opposite seats. Joe's declined. Very cool that she got to experience this.

Lots of Scrapping done this weekend...

2008-11-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

The first layout I did for Isa. Such a great photo taken one day of Eva while we were picking up Danielle from school.

The second layout I love love love the way it turned out. The small photos with the art stroke around them make it. Going to do a general magazine submission for this one. Wish me luck!!! All the items for this layout are from Bella Art. :) So glad they are so close!!!

I am finishing up my day in the life album, getting ready to start my December daily album, working on my next class, and finishing up a few more layouts I started this weekend. Looking forward to getting my Jenni kit too.

Tomorrow we will have a new President! Can't wait to find out who it is. I will be spending more of the day going around to polls with Greg. So fun! I hope it is a huge turnout.

Happy Monday everyone. Stop eating all the kids candy!!! :)

Bella October Layouts & Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

I was very excited to work with my new Bella goodies. I submitted them one week early. Looking forward to seeing all the other member's layouts.

They have the best trims in the store available by the yard. I am in love with the new Swiss dot Bazzill and love that Bells carry's Hambly... one of my favorites. They have alot of the new Basic Grey papers in the 6x6 paper pads. I went nuts when I saw the BG Chocolate albums and think I might do an x-mas day of the week mini book for my next submission.

I can't wait to see if Matthew spells Halloween right on his spelling test today. Thinking of picking up in kids in costume today... so fun. Have a safe Halloween everyone... my 2 followers at least. :)

Determined

2008-10-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Finally getting on the ball and submitting stuff. I found this call for Easter pages on 2 peas and had actully written down my supplies on the back of this layout this summer at the beach house. I was thinking ahead for once.

I am going to play field hockey today... against my daughter at MB. This should be interesting. :)

Hello Monday

2008-10-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

I am very excited about many things this morning. I am so proud of my children. At the beginning of the school year Matthew could not even read 2 letter words. I was so worried about how behind he was from all the other kids and now this month, actually last week he has begun reading whole books all on his own! We had been working hard and he was coming along slowly. All of a sudden he got it! And he likes reading and doesn't complain. This morning I finished his monthly reading log, six books and I am filled with such happiness with his progress and am excited to see him continue to do well in school. He may still be behind the other kids but he has made such personal progress and I am so proud of him.

And Danielle, she completed her science project last night 2 days early! It ended up being a family project we all helped with and she even let Matthew help. At her parent teacher conference last week her advisor said she is at the top of her class. When I told her this she said "really" ? I knew she had it in her and hope she continues. She has such potential and again I am so proud of her.

Now enough family stuff. Bella Art. Where do I begin? I am very excited about being part of their design team. We had our first meeting yesterday and I think she did such an amazing job picking out the team. Very diverse styles. I am excited to be working with these talented ladies. Our first project is to use Thickers and for it to be a fall theme. These are the goodies I got yesterday. I can't wait to create with them.

I am almost done with my Day in the life album. Very excited about this also and love the way it came out. Here are a few pages. I have sat and Sunday left to do. It feels so good to do a project just for me. I highly recommend doing this.

Stories in Hand

2008-10-21T19:49:00.000-04:00

This is a free online class I am thinking about taking. I think it will help make us all better scrapbookers. It starts Nov 9th. In our week-long, instructor-led class, we will learn:Techniques for capturing memories from our own lives and from others,Dozens of prompts for stories you might have forgotten,A cool system for capturing the stories happening in your life right now, AND for listing the stories you have yet to tell .Technologies you can use to help you gather your stories together with photos, video, your blog, or any other media you have that gives a peek into your life And we will make a REALLY CUTE project! (You’ll find out the supply list when you register). You are not required to have Photoshop to complete the project. Doesn't this sound awesome! Join here:http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php

Heidi Swapp lift

2008-10-16T12:17:00.000-04:00

I have been dying to scrap this family photo ever since I picked it up from Gene Hutnak's Studio. The original is in a frame of course and this picture is a scan so the quality isn't wonderful. I found this old layout of Heidi's from 2006 that I had saved and decided to lift it. My layout is little busy but I am happy with it. My favorite thing is Jenni Bowlin"s new crate paper at the bottom. http://www.jennibowlin.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=340 I stiched through it to make a ruffle and it came together so nicely, all I had to do was glue dot it down. I also love my background paper from fancy pants called chalkboard. It came in this kit http://www.slideroll.com/publish.php?PHPSESSID=12e75d127d0d6aeccd4437ca30456b2b&s=k0rf1bwq#kickdown.

Here is Heidi's layout that I lifted from.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Announcing This Sunday's Class at 10am!

2008-10-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

Here they are! There are five great layouts. I am not sure which one is my favorite but I know I need to get my act together and go through my photos before Sunday! Nothing has changed except Kim is teaching so I get to scrap on Sunday and I am very excited!!! Get your photo's together and come early!!!! Class starts at 10am. Happy Fall! Oh and please rsvp It helps so supplies are ready for you to go.

Hello Blog World!

2008-10-14T21:06:00.000-04:00

A week in my life. I followed this project with Ali Edwards last week see here.... http://aliedwards.typepad.com/. Finally posting some of my photo's. Not sure how I am going to put this together if at all yet. One day at a time. Here are Monday's photos. My favorite ones are the ones in the mirror of my truck. I can't even tell you how long it took me to make this collage. So computor NOT savy. Working on changing that. Tomorrow I will post this Sunday's classes. Yes this Sunday thanks to Kim!