Valentine's Day Card for Totally Stamps/Holy Cricut Swap

Hey everyone! :)

I promise I have not been M.I.A! :) I have just been a little busy, but really that is no excuse. I really should try to get on all the time. You deserve that! :)

Well Michelle at Totally Stamps/Holy Cricut has card swaps open to all of you who would like to join us in the fun. We do one card swap a month and you can even join in the challenges if you would like. With the swaps, please NO FLAKING! Just to be fair to everyone. :)

I did the Valentine's Swap (which is closed now). I had a hard time at first, but my friend, Valerie, lent me her CTMH "Amore" Stamp Set. I just started messing around with it and came up with this!

The "Love" image is actually pop-dotted! :) This was a fun and quick card believe it or not. :)
This is what I used: American Crafts (white CS), CTMH (Amore Stamp Set), Ranger (Distress Stamp Pad in Aged Mahogany and Pine Needles for the image and scattered straw and Vintage Photo for the stained look), Flair Designs (Patterned Paper), Studio 18 (bling), Walmart (tulle).
Thanks for stopping! :)

Jeanie D's Christmas Goodness! :)

Hey all! Did you know I have a really good friend in the Digital Design business? Her name is Jeanie Dickinson and she has her own design name now...she is Jeanie D's Designs. :) I am beyond proud of her and she keeps me really happy with sharing her digi goodness with me. :) She has a vintage, yet whimsical feel to her work. I also love it because it is beautiful, yet clean. :)

Anyways- She was designing a kit a couple nights ago (She is gonna be a part of a HUGE Blog Hop here - that is where the details are.) and had the papers done for it. I LOVE THE PAPERS! :) She sent me a lot of them, but the two that got me so far are the burgundy Merry and Bright and the music sheet paper. I used them on hybrid projects for right now...BUT be on the look out for some digi layouts from me using this paper..I also think I am gonna use the paper for some Christmas card swaps I am in. :) Everytime I look back at the file..I see something else I can work with and really for me the only other digi designer who has been consistently making me do that is Katie Pertiet. :)

I will say that Jeanie has evolved from a paper creator to a wonderfully creative digi designer. Love you, Jeanie! ((HUGS))

So, here are my projects.

Full View

Close up view

For the wall hanging I used: Jeanie D's Designs Merry and Bright digital 12x12 paper, all ribbon and lace from Michael's, I did spray the outlining ribbon/lace with homeade glimmer spray and some Shimmerz Spritz mists, Tim Holtz Idea-o-logy clock face and spinners, Stamper's Anonymous Santa Stamp, Ranger Distress Inks, Blending Foam

Card

For the card: Jeanie D's Designs Music Sheets paper in 12x12, Chatterbox (Brown Brad), Basic Grey (shiny green brads), Mulberry paper, Recollections (Kraft Card base),Shimmerz Spritz Spray, TAC Christmas Stamp, CTMH (flourish), Fiskars border punch, Nik Bantok stamp pad (Van Dyke Brown)

I should say that I sized what I needed in PSE 7. :)

Thanks for looking. :)

My Best Friend (Layout)

Ok, so at the end of October, Jeanie gave me some 7gypsies stuff to work with and I was at a loss of what to make (I always have so much going on!). BUT....The Vicotira 8x8 2-sided paper scrapbook pack..is SO ME! :) I love the feminine designs and the vintage-y feel of it. :) I never ONCE thought I would be a "vintage" girl, but Jeanie and Stephanie Howell--not to mention Miss Jenni Bowlin have all inspired me in this area. When you have inspiration--it is hard not to love what you are looking at. :)

So, here is a story of this layout- The picture was taken in August of 2006. We went on a camping trip with my parents...that could have very easily been a nightmare. At the time, my mom had just gotten her transplant 7 months before and was still very hard to be around at time (now this has all changed...LIFE really has a way of turning itself around and showing each of us really matters....PRIDE isn't one of them!). Jon was around 7 and still in a not so "wanting-to-listen" mood most of the time AND he was a little boy and little boys are a little wild. :) BTW-we didn't have our little princess yet...that would happen in June the following year. ;)

We made the most of it and Garth and I have ALMOST no pics together since having children. :) So, while having breakfast, I had my camera right in front of me and then decided to take some pics. I am one of those people, now, that has almost perfected (at least for me) the art of the picture without a photographer. I am the only one that usually takes the pics so I have had to learn this if I want to be part of things in a pic and I don't have anyone to help me. :)

Ok, so I should probably share a little bit of me with you. Like most of you, my husband is my best friend. We have been through everything together (you have NO idea--and NO adultery isn't one of them--I am not, nor is he, that type of person) and are closer now than we have been...ever. :) When I hear this song, by Mr. Tim McGraw...it really touches my heart and I really feel like the words explain what I feel. :) It is one of my faves! :) So, here are the lyrics...do they touch you too?

My Best Friend- Tim McGraw

I never had no one-I could count on-I've been let down so many times-I was tired of hurtin'-So tired of searchin'-'Til you walked into my life-It was a feelin'-I never known-And for the first time-I didn't feel alone.

You're more than a lover-There could never be another-To make me feel the way you do-Oh we just get closer-I fall in love all over-Everytime I look at you-I don't know where I'd be-Without you here with me-Life with you makes perfect sense-You're my best friend- You're my best friend, oh yeah.

You stand by me-You believe in me-Like nobody ever has-When my world goes crazy-You're right there to save me-You make me see how much I have-And I still tremble-When we touch-And,oh, the look in your eyes-When we make love.

You're more than a lover-There could never be another-To make me feel the way you do-Oh we just get closer-I fall in love all over-Everytime I look at you-I don't know where I'd be-Without you here with me-Life with you makes perfect sense-You're my best friend-You're my best friend

So, here is what I used: 7Gypsies- Victoria 8x8 Scrapbook paper pack, Memories 97% sticker, Ranger Glossy Accents and Vintage Photo Distress ink pad, popdots, Memento marker (for journaling)

"I look at you and I'm home."

I am so bad.....well, may be not bad, but behind! :) LOL! On June 25th, Lain Ehmann had an entry on her blog about home and what it means to her. She has moved from California to a new "home" back east (of course, the numbskull that I can be....I forgot, but I am sure as heck it is back east somewhere!) She said that she hasn't felt homesick like she did when she left for college. She realized that it was because "home" to her is where ever her hubby and kids are. :) I know a lot of us feel the same there! :)

She then gave us all a challenge to be inspired by and make a layout from this quote: "I look at you and I am home!" That beautiful quote came from Finding Nemo. :) I know I loved that movie but never got hit by that quote until I read a story from a REAL, LIVE person that it has touched. Is it not the most beautiful sentiment?



When I took this pic...I was making my "Weekend Me" book that Ali Edwards had on her blog a couple months back. I had all the pics taken but was so behind on everything that I haven't gotten it up on my blog yet. To this day, it is one of my most favorite projects that I have been inspired to do. :)

Garth and I were looking out the back window and I was trying to take pics of us together, but wanted it candid....so I just started snapping. Now if a lot of you know me, I can be comfy doing just about anything. LOL! So this pic was easy for me....it was Garth that needed to chill. :) But I told him to act like the camera wasn't even there. After 20 or so pics (I am a constant "snapper")this is the pic we got and I put it on my layout.

You see, my kids will leave and I will be heartbroken, but I know I will always have Garth here to love me. Not to sound sadistic, but we always chat and hope that we die like the old couple in The Notebook. I know I could never live and be ok without him and he says he feels the same about me. Yes, we are that mushy and have been forever. :) LOL! I believe if we didn't have some type of "mush" then we wouldn't have a marriage! :)

Anyways-here is the layout! Thanks Lain! :)

What I used: Jenni Bowlin Studios-12x12 paper, Recollections gem brads, Greenbriar International fabric rose pins with Perfect Pearl mist (homemade) and inked with Disress Inks (Ranger), Webster's Pages Jounaling Cards, Bling on the journaling card is from the $1 bin at Michael's, The Paper Company for matting my photo, Distress Inks (Ranger) for distressing and aging my photo that was printed in black and white and edited in PhotoShop Elements 7.