Sunday Blogging.......and a challenge with RAK!

Look familiar??



Yep you guessed it. It's the same sketch I used for my "Buds" layout the other day. But here I used different paper with matching cardstock to create the circles. This is Tuesdays Art Bar project at the Zone. Hurry on in because I only made 23 kits. When supplies are gone so is the free 12x12 page. Art Bar runs from 2-4 and 6-8 every Tuesday.

I also created this super cute 100% Boy Layout as our "Pages 2 Go" kit for this week. This one is going to fly out the door I think. My last 2 kits have been sold out by Friday, So I'm hoping this one will too.



I made a similar page at home using basketball pictures from B's team. I didn't Cuddlebug the circles though. Wish I would have. I love the effect and dimension it gives. But I lent the store 2 of my folders and the only one I had left had flowers on it. Can't use flowers on a boys basketball page.

Here's a challenge for you all with a little give-away. Show me a scrapbook layout where you used Cuddlebug folders. Layout can be any size from 6x6 to a 12x12 2 pager. I'll give you till next Sunday (April 4th) at 6 pm (est) to submit your entry. I'll draw a random winner and you will receive 2 Cuddlebug folders. Just leave a comment with a link to the photo and I'll figure out a way to post them here for everyone to see. OK lets get busy with those Cuddlebug folders.

Weeks 7 - 11

A feeling a accomplishment. I can say that I am caught up on my "Gratitude Project", this is week 12 and my layout will be done by tomorrow. I'm glad Michelle wanted to see my book, she motivated me to scrap the pictures I had picked that were collecting dust on my desk. I guess I am grateful for her interest.







Just a quick post today. What are you grateful for this week?

Friday Funny!

Well I was going to post the rest of my 52 weeks layouts but my Cousin Mikie sent me this photo and I laughed so hard I figured I just share it with all of you.



Here's to a good Friday. The sun is shining in Michigan and I can just tell it's going to be a great day.

Doesn't this photo just make you smile?

A Quick Card

I needed to do a quick card for the AMR card challenge team and this is my "Round Card". We had to make a shaped card. I got my Cricut Expression for Christmas and it came with the Home Decor cartridge. Love it! It has some really wonderful images on it. I cut this cute little birdie and it's shadow, the word Hope and the base flower from it.

Now while roaming about JoAnn's the other day, I found they had Fiskars punches on sale 40% off. Well who can resist that. Not I! That's better then my employee discount at the Zone, so I picked up these two cute flower punches. (We don't carry them at the Zone so I don't feel too guilty.) I punched them out in 2 different colors and embossed them with my CuddleBug. Cute Quick Card!

Off to finish some more "52 Weeks" pages. I'm almost caught up. Wait till you see yesterdays page. It's totally rockin'!

"52 Weeks" weeks 1 thru 6

Well way back in January I decided to do something different this year and signed on to do the "Gratitude Project". What we are doing is a scrapbook page a week about something we feel blessed to have in our lives. Something small that maybe we have over looked in the past. If we keep track of the little things then maybe we'll change how we look at the over all picture. So I started it. Finished the title page, the introduction and the week 1. I had pictures printed for weeks 2, 4 and 5. Ideas for the pages and and a written list for weeks 6, 7 and 8. Stalled out! That's what happened.

Fast forward to last Friday night. My buddy Michelle, a regular Friday night cropper, asks to see my Gratitude Book. Sure I'll bring it in next Friday. OK I've got 1 week to get caught up. So that's what I did. Tuesday the "MoJo" was flowing and I completed weeks 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. That leaves me 7, 9, 11 and 12 (which is this week) and I'm all caught up. It feels great! It truly is changing how I look at the world, by feeling blessed about the small things in my life. Some of them are bigger then others but really I have much to be grateful for.








Now I'm off to finish those other pages and tomorrow I'll post weeks 6 - 12. It feels good to be alive.

New Layout!

Wow my scrapbook MoJo was in high gear yesterday. I did a quick LO to show Kelly at the Zone. It's a idea for the Art Bar using Cuddlebug folders. Great way to teach a new skill to our customers and maybe sell some stuff at the same time. It was fun and quick.




I used 3 different folders and 3 different colors of cardstock circles. Ran them through the Cuddlebug machine and wow, quick and easy embossed circles for my layout.



I matched my cardstock up to my pattern paper, ran the "Treading Water" punch down one side and adhered it all together. This layout really went together in less then 30 minutes.

It was inspirational. I completed 6 more 6 x 12 layouts yesterday but I'll save those pictures for tomorrow.

For the love of the game!

Brendan's new sport love is Basketball. He's getting pretty good too. The Lathers JV team is improving by leaps and bounds. What a difference from last week. We took so many more shots and passed the ball with confidence. There's still a couple kids that telegraph their pass and it gets turned over but it's happening with much less frequency. Thank God! Last night the team won 23-19 and our Brendan had 4 points.



Brendan's defense is improving too. He had 5 steals and if he could have made a layup would have had a few more points. He did manage to get an offensive rebound and make his jumper.



Having a hoop in the driveway and playing "21" with him all weekend payed off nicely. He followed his shot and crashed the boards well. This weekend we are going to work on that layup.

Shoebox Card Challenge

OK so the AMR card challenge that was put forth said, "Gather your card making supplies and put them into a shoebox/basket. Everything must fit into the box except your cutter. Cutters are usually too big to fit into a box. Now go some place other then where you usually create your cards. Yes move to a different location.

OK I can do this. Well I didn't have a shoebox but I did have this really cool "Fat Tire Ale" box. Just a bit taller then a shoebox. And these were the supplies I fit into it. I tried to prep some stuff I knew I'd want, like the scalloped circles and white embossed circles for stamped images. I use these all the time so to have a stash of them, makes card making go much faster.



This was card #1.



A close up of the scalloped circle. I'm in love with the little monkey. So I bought a few lately and plan on using them, a lot!



And this is #2. I didn't take a close up of the sentiment and little frogs but they are cute too. And pop dotted to give them added dimension.



My goal was some "boy" cards. Girl cards are easy, boy cards are harder. They can be cute but not frilly. I also was aiming for some generic ones. Ones that could be converted easily for birthdays or just used as every day mailers. Success I'd say.

Go ahead and challenge yourself. What supplies do you need? Find a different place to create and see what happens.

Happy Sunday!

Big Wheels on Ice!

Last Saturday we went to watch our buddy Kyle play hockey, he plays for the Marquette Rangers in the North American Hockey League. They were playing the Motor City Machine at the Yack Arena in Wyandotte, about 30 minutes from our house. They had a drawing to race Big Wheels at the first intermission and Brendan and his buddy Mike were picked. It was too funny. The slightest tilt of the wheel sent them spinning out. They had to make 3 laps of the ice, easier said then done. Just ask Mike, he spent more time spinning out then moving forward.



The boys certainly had a good time. Brendan won the race and their prize was a bag of candy. I'm sure the race was more important then the prize.



The Rangers won the game. Kyle got booted late in the 3rd period. I think he got 2 and a ten and the ref's knew the game was over so they just sent him to the locker room. See ya Kyle.



It was so nice to be able to catch a couple of his game this season. We miss him at our house, it's very quiet. Who knows where he'll end up next year. My league has picked up 2 new teams in Wisconsin, so maybe he'll get to come visit me close to his house next winter.

Have a good weekend. I'm off to work shortly. Nothing like a Friday night at the Zone with Katie.

A little Crafty...

Well I did this card a couple weeks ago for the weekly card challenge at AMR. It was the weekend of our "Tropical Crop". A lot of fun to be had and a crazy time on the message board.

I've tried to keep up with the weekly demands of this design team but alas I've fallen short. I got injured and that threw a big wrench in my plans. It's tough to scrap when you can't sit down. So this week I've been feeling better and today I can sit for about an hour then I have to get up and move. But an hour gives me time to create this weeks card: Use Green. So I did and this is what I came up with:



I like it and I used alot of green and an old CTMH stamp set.

Tomorrow another post I promise.

**EDIT**
So I just got back from Target and I found the cutest stamp set there. It's from Autumn Leaves and called "Mindy's Zoo". I can't wait to use it.