Happy Day!!

Oh Happy Day!!! Yesterday was AWESOME! I was at my LSS dropping off some gift bags I made for an upcoming class, 12/14. The UPS man arrived with the new ribbon purse. (I'll have to take a picture once all my ribbon is in it.) This thing rocks!! I've been waiting a LONG time for it. It's like Christmas! I got home yesterday afternoon and started adding my ribbon, which I have SO MUCH of. I hardly use it, I think because I can't see it all at once. But, with this new purse, it will NOT be a problem. It's gonna be so cool, once I get all the ribbon in, which all sits in the middle and supposedly doesn't tangle. We'll see..... Keep your fingers crossed!

What girl doesn't like a little bling?

I taught a tags class tonight at my LSS. It was fun, and we used lots of bling, Stickles. LOVE Stickles, the fancy name for glitter glue, but it comes in an array of colors, by Ranger Industries. I had a blast teaching this group of ladies! We made 4 tags to use on gifts, in your scrapbooks, add to cards, whatever you want to do with them. I should have taken pictures, but forgot before I left. Oops!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! My brother and sister-in-law were in town, which was wonderful. My boys couldn't get enough of their uncle. I think I heard his name thousands of times in the time they were here. They are his biggest fans, which makes him proud, I'm sure. They live in Connecticut, so we don't get to see them often, but it was great spending so much time with them. We're hoping to visit them in the spring, which I guess would be like June there, hahahaha. No, hopefully we'll make it there in late March or early April, hopefully the snow will have melted. And, I'm not joking about that!

Freedom

For 4 hours on Tuesday and Thursday I will now have a little bit of this...freedom, or should I say peace and quiet. :) My youngest is now going to MMO. He started Tuesday and absolutely loved it! I was a little hesitant as he's only 16 months old, but there was a space available, we were next on the list, so I couldn't pass it up. I'm hoping he continues to love it and do well. I know I'm loving it!!!

So, I taught a cards class a couple weeks ago, and it went VERY well!! It lasted a little longer than 2 hours, but everyone said they enjoyed it! We made 4 cards doing some stamping and embossing on a couple of them. I had a lot of fun. It was only my 2nd class, but I think it went pretty well. I'm teaching again at the end of the month at my LSS. This time a tags class, tags for gifts, cards, scrapbooks, tags for all occasions, but mostly for the holidays that are upon us.

This weekend I'm venturing out to participate in a craft show at HarborView Elementary on James Island. It's Saturday from 10-2. I'll be selling (hopefully) some frames, cards and maybe some other items. I'm looking forward to it, but lots to do before then.

Oh how the years go by!

Today is our 9th anniversary! I can't believe it's been 9 years. Full of ups and downs, crying and laughter (mostly laughter), frowns and smiles (mostly smiles), it's been the BEST 9 years of my life! I LOVE my husband and everything he stands for! He's been so supportive of me, as a person, a wife and now a mom! I couldn't ask for anything more!!! Happy anniversary honey!

We can fly...we can fly...

WE CAN FLY!!!!! My oldest son LOVES Peter Pan! He is infatuated with it. He is in LOVE with Tinker Bell! Yesterday after he awoke from his nap, he came in to where I was ironing and said "Mommy hold my hand." So, I did and we flew! We flew off to Never Land! Let me tell you, it was the best flight I've taken in a LONG time!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Happy World Card Making Day!!! I just made 1 card, YIPPEE!!! I'm sending to a friend of mine. Love her, she's inspiring, very creative and a new found friend! Make a card today...send it to someone special or someone you've been thinking about recently. A card brings a smile, and a homemade card is like a hug from the sender. :) (at least that's how I feel when I get a card)

Me?? A teacher?? .......

That's right. I'm teaching my 1st class tonight at A Scrapbook Store. I'm teaching a beginner class tonight. I'm excited! There are only a couple people signed up and already prepaid, so I hope that means they will be there. :) I'm teaching again later this month, Oct. 27th, a card/stamping class. I made the cards last night, and love the way they turned out. I hope the attendees enjoy them too. I'll post them after the class is done later in the month.

Disney was a fun trip! The boys enjoyed it, especially the 3 1/2 year old. He was in 7th heaven A LOT!!! Loved seeing them meet the characters. The younger one just loved on them, it was so sweet! He cuddled and wouldn't let go in some instances. I can't wait to go back!!! :) But, my husband can.

So many reasons for excitement....

So excited today, and a little exhausted. Excited because we're heading to Disney VERY soon, exhausted because we're trying to get the kids healthy before we leave--it's been a LONG weekend.

I created autograph books for each of my sons to take. I just love Disney and can't wait to see everything through the eyes of my children!!! I know my older one will be more into it, but just to see the expressions on each of their faces will be TOTALLY worth it to me! You can see my creations here.

I'm also excited for one of my friends, who I met at Kindermusik with our kids, but didn't know she scrapped. So, we reconnected through our LSS. She teaches there and has some GREAT classes! She has just been asked by Fiskars to attend the Fiskateer roundup. Congrats Sudie!!! I'm SO EXCITED for you!!!

Up for a challenge??

My girlfriend and I are hoping to start a "club." Do you remember clubs from when you were younger? I loved them, they were so much fun. I was in a sticker club at a store in the mall, what a hoot. I loved going to get my "sticker of the month" each month. And, then putting in the sticker book, it had to have just the right space. OH BOY what was I thinking!!!

Anyway, back to the new club. We're hoping to start a club at the local scrapbook store, where she works and I frequent WAY too much! It's a club to challenge your creativity, your mind, your everything and get you to think "outside the box." We're working on challenges now and the purpose of the club to propose to the owner. I think it's AWESOME and I can't wait!!! My girlfriend is SUPER creative and I am inspired by her. I tell her all the time and she gives me this WHATEVER look, but she truly does. When it becomes official, I'll let you know more.

Clubs are back, baby!!!!

You give me fever...

It started with the little guy having a high fever last Friday, over 103. But, only for the day. After a last minute trip to the doctor, thank goodness we got in, we discovered it was nothing. At least the doctor said ears look good, throat looks good. Hmmmm... He is getting some new teeth, and boy it takes this child FOREVER to get teeth!!! Well, he had the fever for the day and Saturday was just cranky, but daddy got to deal with that, as I was off to crop for 14 hours!!! Yep, that's right 14 hours!!!! It was AWESOME! I was in heaven. I got 9 pages done, and finishing up a journal for a girlfriend of mine who is leaving for Italy tomorrow.

And, now the older son has a fever. Not too terribly high, but I didn't send him to school today. He's running about 101.5, but I don't want to risk anyone else getting anything. He's had an appetite, so who knows what's going on or around!

Anyway, I've been trying to create. I've created a few things and posted them on SISTV under my profile. Check them out!

Been a while...

I haven't posted in so long. Not sure why, just busy I guess. It seems like I'm always doing something on this computer, so I'm not sure why I haven't updated this. But, with 2 young boys, it's not very often you get a free moment. I've been trying to catch up on scrapping/creating. It's taking a little bit. My oldest boy starts "school" (Mother's morning out) next Tuesday, so hopefully my younger one will allow me to "create" during his brother's time away. BUT, for some reason, I'm thinking that's not going to be happening. We'll see. And, there will be "chores" to do around the house, which I'm hoping will be a bit easier, since I will only have 1 set of little hands to worry about helping me. :)

I have been working on a few things. I've made a few cards. Here's a sample:

I've posted a few more on my profile at SISTV http://www.scrapinstyletv.com/portfolio/view_album.php?album_id=VRECENT_2201.

LOVE this website!!! It's FREE to join, which is a HUGE plus! There are SO MANY creative ladies out there!! Make sure to check it out!

I seriously can't believe it's almost September!!! Where has this year gone?!?! We were at Costco tonight and they already had some Christmas things out. WHOA, it's TOO early for that! But, it will be here before we know it! UUGH!!! I love Christmas, but thinking about it now just makes me crazy, thinking of ALL that needs to be done before then.

Oh, I've also added a few things to my etsy site. Make sure to check it out. I've sold 1 frame so far, but I'm hoping that something else will sell. We'll see. Again, so many creative people on this website. It's a bit overwhelming, but SO inspiring!!! LOVE IT!

Okay, so this post was a bit all over the place, but what can I say!?

Back from CKC

I travelled to CKC in Charlotte this past weekend with my mom and met my cousin there. It was a BLAST!!! It was exhausting and tiring, but SO MUCH FUN!! I can't wait to go next year! We took classes, cropped and shopped 'til we dropped (almost literally). It was the first time for all of us, and we've already talked about what we would do differently next time. :):)

It was a whirlwind. My husband was gone for a week for work, he returned, I packed the car and left within 4 hours! Hello and goodbye! After being with the 2 boys, it was time for a much needed break. But, it was nice to get home to see my hubby! I missed him a TON! He's so supportive of me with all my crafting, even when my desk is a DISASTER, like it is now. He keeps subtly telling me I need to TRY and keep it a little neater. I know, I know...you would think it's the first thing you see when you come in our house. :):) It is, man, it would be so nice to have my own scrap space, just like it would be nice to have a playroom and a guest room and a maid and a....oh, hello, I was just daydreaming!!!! A woman can dream, right!?!

Anyway, if you've never been to a CKC, you HAVE to go! You'll have a darn good time. Just make sure there's room on the charge card or buy a lottery ticket!!!

1st Birthday LOs

Here are some layouts from the birthday party.

My son is FINALLY one!!!

Well, he's really 3, but I FINALLY completed the scrapbook for his first year of life!! I attended an all day crop on Saturday at A Scrapbook Store and got through the end of his first year and his 1st birthday party. I will probably still add a few pages, as I have a TON of pictures of so many different things from that first year: mostly different faces, quirks, etc. of him during his first year of life. But, it's finally done! I was SO EXCITED!!! Now, I have to rock and roll to get caught up! I'm so in to it right now, I'm hoping that things will just start flowing. We'll see. Here are a few of the layouts.

3 year olds and pens DON'T mix!

Okay, so I spent about 30-45 min. creating my journal covers last night. I LOVE it! I brought it in to the kitchen this morning to add to my first list in it while the boys were eating breakfast. WELL, Patrick found a pen sitting next to it (the one I was going to use to write in the notebook) and proceeded to draw all over the front of it. UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!! I mean SERIOUSLY!!! Do they ever learn to keep their hands to themselves?!?!?!

So, I'm not sure if I can fix it, but we'll see. I guess EVERYTHING has to go on top of the fridge. Oh yeah, he can get up there, with the help of the barstool. I guess it needs to go on top of the cabinets. Oh yeah, I can't get up there without the help of a barstool. :):)

SOLD....

A frame that is. I had my first sale from my etsy.com site. I found out late last night. I was SO excited. I'm hoping to list more out there by the end of the week. I've made a couple cards, but am hoping to get a few more things done to put them out there. Keep checking out there, if you're interested, as I'm hoping to add new things each week. A little at a time, I don't want to overwhelm myself or anyone else.

I went to a class at A Scrapbook Store last night. It was lots of fun using transparencies. VERY COOL transparencies from Hambly. I've read a lot about them on several websites and blogs lately. Transparencies, in general, are very cool!!! They cut down on a lot of time on pages, if you choose to use them like that. A lot of them make it very simple, because it's all right there, you just need the background paper and pictures. Any additions are totally your choice. I love simple and easy!!!

So, tonight I made my own little journal. I'm going to use it for various things, probably lists mostly: grocery, to do, you know the normal lists that we all make. It's a little big, but I will probably carry it in my purse. I want to have something where I can write down things when I think of them, or when I hear things come out of Patrick's mouth during the day. I want to be able to scrap those moments, those words, that come out of his mouth. Because, he says the darndest things sometimes, and I always say I'll remember them, but I couldn't tell you what he said tonight, let alone the last time it was really funny, which I'm sure was earlier today. :):)

Check it out!

I've officially set up my etsy.com site today. Finally! I've been talking about this for a while, but it's official today. There's a link on this blog. I'm so excited! I hope people enjoy my creations as much as I do, and I hope I'm successful. What I've listed thus far is only a small portion of what I'd like to list out there. So, go check it out!!!! Whimsical What-Nots It should be one of your new favorite sites. :):):) It's mine!!

It's booked!!!

We're going to Disney World this year!!! YIPPEE!!! I can't wait! Our trip isn't until the end of September, but my countdown will soon start! I LOVE WALT DISNEY WORLD! If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Disney World!! I can't wait, I can't wait!!! We're going to see THE Mouse!

Markers are BANNED!!!!

Well, this morning my husband and I awoke to some more rustling around 7:30ish. It was, of course, the 3 year old. Boy, not sure what we're going to do with this little monster, I mean boy. No, I mean devlish monster!!!! He was playing with the markers and had drawn on himself. UUGH!!!! Unbelievable! It seriously looks like a big green tattoo! I put him in our bed and told him he was NOT getting the markers back for a LONG LONG time!!! I thought this was the worst of it. Well, I was wrong.

My husband went in to my oldest son's room and found ................................ drumroll please.....

this... and this... !!

Okay, so these are now the doodling sheets!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone should have a set of these! :):)

It's all about the markers...

So, my parents got my 3 year old a Spark Art Easel for Christmas, but we JUST put it together this week. He got so many things for Christmas and then his birthday 2 weeks later, that I thought it would be a good thing to save for a rainy day. Well, since it was HOT here this week (heat index of 105+), I thought what a PERFECT thing to break out. He absolutely freakin' LOVES it!!! It is pretty cool! I didn't realize it came in so many parts, but only took me about 30 min or so to put together.

It's finally ready to go and he is SO excited because it came with markers. Well, they were dry erase markers, and he was doing such a good job with them. That is until I kept asking him to put them away, since the 1 year old was wanting to participate too. Boy, that would have been a BIG FIASCO!!! So, the markers went in "timeout" for the evening. They were put in their designated case and then up on top of the refrigerator. He asked for them several times that night, but I didn't give in!!

Wednesday morning I awoke to rustling around 6:30AM. I was a little freaked out, since my husband was out of town on business. I got up to find this in front of the fridge. I couldn't believe my eyes. My "resourceful" (as one of my best friends called him), had tried many means to get the markers down from atop the fridge, and succeeded with the bar stool, as I found him sitting at the kitchen table going through the case looking at the 6 colors. He had colored an orange circle on one of his hands and colored 2 of his teeth yellow!! The yellow on the teeth was gone before I could locate the camera to record this wonderful moment in time. Remember, it was 6:30AM, I was still trying to get my bearings!!!

AGAIN, the markers were put in timeout!! They were released yesterday! BUT, today I found spots on his bed sheets, 6 different colors in several places. Not sure when this took place. This boy LOVES markers, but I think he's going to have to stick with crayons for a while. UUGH!!! So, guess where the markers are now????? :):)

Summer is flying by!

I can't believe the 4th of July has come and gone. Summer is flying by! We had a GREAT visit with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew! I wish they could have stayed longer. The boys just had a BLAST together, and of course, they just started playing well together and really bonding, and they had to leave. We talked about meeting halfway somewhere sometime, which I think would be a GREAT time!

Now it's time to clean up and do laundry, get back to normal, everyday life!! The boys are trying to get back on a schedule, which will take a few days, but we're getting there.

Well, I took a few frames to a local scrapbook store, A Scrapbook Store, to try to sell on consignment today. We'll see how it goes. I need to make some more to put out on my etsy.com site. I'm hoping I can sell some. I'm also going to make some magnets, paperclips, maybe tags, etc. We'll see what happens.

Excitement in the air...

Well, I'm on my way to displaying some of my decorated frames in a local scrapbook store. I'm SO excited! I went to A Scrapbook Store this evening in Mt. Pleasant and showed her some of my wares. She thought they were very cute. So, I just have to put my "logo" in them and take them back to her to display. She'll be back in the store on Thursday, so I'm hoping to go over then. I CAN'T WAIT!!! And, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will sell some, so keep your fingers crossed for me too. I know, I know....I need to put some pictures out here so y'all can see them, well if you want to see them. :)

I'm also excited because my oldest son is doing MUCH better with potty training. He's not telling us when he has to go, but knock on wood the last 2 days we've had NO accidents in the pull-up. I know we should be using "big boy" undies, but I just haven't yet, maybe this weekend. We had a BIG mishap earlier this week that was just SO embarrassing to me, but I've gotten over it, SLOWLY!!! It didn't even phase him, which really frustrates me. He's almost 3 1/2 and I feel he should be trained already. But, they say boys are slower (I believe that!) and each child is different. The only thing that keeps going through my head is my younger child (who just turned 1) is going to be trained before the older one. My cousin laughed as she said last night that the 3 1/2 year old would be asking for the car keys while still in a diaper. HAHAHA, NOT even funny I told her!!!!!

Another reason for excitement...all day/all night crop tomorrow. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! It's going to be GREAT! I have to get my stuff together, but I'm SO looking forward to it! Lots of exclamation points in this paragraph, can you tell how excited I am!? :):) I just wish my 2 best friends from home and my cousin were here, so we could crop and gab together, but I will be thinking of them while I'm there. I'm hoping I can get LOTS done! It's 14 hours, so I'm hoping more than 5 pages will get done.

And, one more reason for excitement, my husband's sister, her husband and their son are on their way down here. They are stopping in Atlanta to see his brother, and they should be here on Monday evening. It's going to be fun to hang out with them and let the kids play! We haven't hung out with them in a LONG time, just the 4 of us anyway! So, we're planning on letting the kids play and the parents will watch them and reminisce (that's my husband's take on it), while sipping on some COLD brewskis. :):)

Enjoy the weekend! I know I will!!!!!!!!

Late and all is quiet

Lately, my creative juices start flowing after the boys go to bed, and it's a little quieter. The bad thing is I want to stay up and just keep working on whatever it is I'm doing: scrapbooking, making frames, etc. I do that and then suddenly realize is 12:30am and I NEED to go to bed, so I can be awake with both eyes open the next morning, when the 2 rugrats rise and shine. Lucky for me they aren't super early risers. I'm extremely thankful for that!

It's nice to have the quiet. Don't get me wrong, I love the noise that happens in this house, I don't think I would trade it for anything. (people that know me and are reading this are thinking that I probably need some sleep after that comment) :) I complain about it, probably too much if you ask my hubby and parents. :):) But, someday those noises won't be there, and I'll be wishing they were. I try (REALLY hard some days) to remember that I should enjoy the noisy times; the giggling, laughing, yelling, screaming, crying (okay, but how do you enjoy crying, unless it's not your child). However, when they're sleeping, be it a nap or they're down for the night, the peace and quiet is a nice sound!

With the peace and quiet today/tonight, I was able to work on some picture frames and magnets. Pictures will come soon, in case you would like to see them. Well, I guess it's time for me to enjoy my own peace and quiet, and try to get some sleep, and prepare for another adventurous day!

My first post

Well, I officially have a blog now. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I'll just go with it. And, I guess if you're checking this blog, you're taking the ride with me. I'm a crafter and wanted to be able to share my creations and ideas with friends across the country. And, I also wanted to be able to share thoughts and stories too. Who knows what will end up here, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.