and so the decade ends...

SERIOUSLY??? It's been a DECADE?????  Freaking me out!  oh well...time moves on!  So for my final post of 2009...I wanted to give a shout out to my top fave goodies and memories of the year...

In true countdown fashion...here we go!

10.  My LSS...directly responsible for so many of the things on this list...every time I go in there...I walk away unbelievably inspired!  (Not to mention the stock of amazing stuffs you gals keep!)

9.  challenge blogs of all shapes and sizes...so much fun!

8.  Judy and the gals at Simply Scrapping! 

7.  Prima, Prima, Prima...need I say more...

6.  Verve stamps...oh how I love thee..let me count the ways!

5.  Grunge paper, distress ink, distress stickles...drool....

4.  Copic markers...why oh why did I fear you for so long?

3.  Studio 490...Wendy Vecchi is a regular dose of scrapspiration!  So lucky to have taken a class with her this year...and can't wait to go again!

2.  Having the opportunity to start a challenge blog and it still be running by the end of the year!  Woohoo Shoe!

1.  My very very very dear friends (much love to Tracey and Tanisha) and my most amazing family (my most forgiving husband who prentends every day to understand what it is I do...and my little monkey...who wants to do it too!)...couldn't do it without you!

I started playing with paper in May of 2008...never imagined myself still playing and loving it so much over a year later...never imagined I would start a blog and keep it active and it be about my love for the art of Scrapping and Cards...it's been a great year...looking forward to 2010! 

Be safe tonight!  And to all...Happy New Year...I hope it brings about many wonderful things for you and yours!

A little different...

...not quite sure how to categorize this particular card...I made it with a few challenges in mind...but not sure if it fits entirely...oh well!  it's all open to interpretation right???  I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch and Charisma Cardz "Celebrate" theme...and a new place I have only just visited today My Time to Craft Challenge.  The colors were inspired by a Splitcoast color challenge.
 
The front:

The inside (which I rarely do...but this card kind of needed it!):

Enjoy!

Challenges:

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge: MTSC54

Charisma Cardz: Celebrations

My Time to Craft: Challenge 72 - Anything goes!

Splitcoast: CC251

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzil; Paper - Basic Grey Ambrosia; Stamps - Verve, "Believe" set; Ink - Tsukineko Memento in Tuxedo Black and CTMH in GoldRush; Smooch paint in Pumpkin; Fiskars Lace border punch; Ribbon - unknown

My Craft Room...

...that I spent almost 5 hours cleaning today...seriously...I was so fed up with it...that I just started cleaning...had some assistance from my most wonderful husband and pretty darn awesome kid...i won't embarass myself by telling you how much CRAP got hauled out of here...but let's just say that my daughter's class will be receiving lots of crafty stuff to play with!  of course...i did have some help from these two:

                                                             




i don't have any pictures of how bad it was before the deep clean...but here is a general idea of how it looks now:

of course doing some cleaning revealed to my dear hubby what exactly my addictions are...like STAMPS...here are my CTMH stamps (and Studio 490 and TIm Holtz stamps):

and some more CTMH stamps:

my Verve stamps:

and some SU:

and then some of my other addictions...like idea-ology:

                                                         









and then there is my absolute fave diplay of the room...my "Shimmer Shack":

yeah...67 different colors of stickles (gotta get a handle on that addiction)...not to mention the glimmer mist....and my latest being the Smooch paints...oh wait...don't let me forget the paper:

oh...and the ribbon:

top 5 drawers are all ribbon...bottom two are cricut bits and punches...and then...my absolute most fave shelf in the room...

the stamps on it are pretty cool too!

Enjoy!  My New Year's Resolution...to keep the room at least somewhat presentable!

twuu lub...

totally have Princess Bride on the brain right now...maybe I'll have to steal the TV back from the kiddo and watch it!  heeheee!  anywho!  I have been so non-scrappy for so long now...that all of a sudden I'm feeling inspired and scrap happy!  I was checking out Pencil Lines for a little inspiration and came across their sketch #162...and had to give it a whirl! 

Supplies: Paper and Cardstock: CTMH - Grace; Stamps: CTMH - Neighborhood; Ink: CTMH - Chocolate, Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Old Paper; Embellishments: CTMH Grace Stickease, CTMH Clear Shapes; Copic E37; Tattered Angels - Caramel Apple; Smooch ink Siren; Cricut Lyrical Letters

Enjoy!

When I took this picture of my daughter back in the summer...all I could imagine was how much fun she was having sticking her toes in the stream running by our campsite!  So to me...this picture is just about enjoying the little things...I created this for the 3rd challenge of December at Simply Scrapping Crafts...

Sketch: Prima
Supplies:  Paper and Cardstock: CTMH; Pearls: CTMH; Flowers: Prima; Distress Stickles and Distress Crackle Paint in Walnut Stain; Grungeboard elements swirls; Glimmer Mist in Perfect Peach, Cinnamon and Wheatgrass

Ahhhh...the Holidays...

I hope everyone is having a wonderful post-Christmas weekend!  My house is a little hectic right now...we had a new addition just before Christmas...a Boxer puppy!  She is adorable...but quite the handful...middle of the night mad dash to get her outside before the next oopsie!  We are really happy to have her...even my precious Cookie seems to be taking the new add pretty well...

Anyways...I'm really looking forward to the next week...I was able to take the time off from work...and now that the Christmas hubbub has settled down a bit...it's time to get Scrapping!  I have so many pictures from the new puppy to the cookies we baked to the tree and of course, Christmas morning!  And I'm really excited to be taking a break from Christmas cards!  Valentine's day...LOOKOUT!  HEEHEEHEE! 

Hope all is well and more in the coming days!

Buried Treasure...

I was desperately trying to figure out what I was going to do with this week's sketch challenge over at Simply Scrapping (SS81), I'd gotten behind and had a deadline fast approaching...and all I could think was that I DID NOT want to do another Christmas card...I needed a break!  So I started digging through a pile of papers that had accumulated on a stepstool in my craft room...and VOILA!  buried underneath it all was some yummy paper I'd pretty much forgotten I had...the card pretty much developed from there...the card is 3x7...a size I hadn't really played with before...and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!  The twist on this week's sketch was to use flowers...so I (thankfully) had plenty in my stash to help me out!  I hit the flowers with some glimmer mist to give them a little sparkle, topped it off with a few pearls...and the card was done! 

Supplies:  Paper - Cosmo Cricket; Cardstock - Bazzil, CTMH; Ink - CTMH, DIstress Inks; Flowers - Prima; Pearls - CTMH; Glimmer Mist - Wheatgrass; Sentiment - Verve; Ribbon - unknown

Let it snow...again...

Well...long story short...I've been "playing" with my Copic markers for a few weeks now...I have tons of colored images scattered throughout my house...but I haven't really used any on a card yet...so today...I did!  I had this absolutely adorable stamp that had some elements to color...but not so many that I couldn't talk myself out of it!  LOL!  So here it is!  (and a bunch of challenges I chose to play along with to keep me motivated!).

Supplies:  Paper - My Mind's Eye; Cardstock - Bazzil; Chipboard - Maya Road; Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic - YG03, YG06, R27, R29, B21, B24, B32, RV11, BG0000, BG10; White Acrylic paint; Distress Stickles Picket Fence; Ribbon - unknown

Challenges:
Crazy For Challenges - Snowmen
Color Throwdown - #72
Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge - MTSC51
Pile it On - Chipboard

All is calm...

when I was a kid growing up in Germany...the best time of year was when it snowed...especially that first snow that happened and you didn't know it until you woke up and looked outside and the whole world was covered...or so it seemed...it wasn't until I was MUCH older that i decided that i just really didn't like snow...hate it actually...sort of...i hate the cold...the to-the-bone winter cold...snow is great...it's beautiful...and i love being outside while snow falls...it just feels..magical...but all the other weather parts that accompany it...NO THANK YOU! 

anyways...enough of my rant!  LOL!  this week's Fashionista Friday challenge at the Shoe is to create something with the theme of SNOW!  I had a lot of fun with this one...mostly because it just kind of happened...I searched desperately for a sketch to use...or some sort of inspiration...and then...I was walking up the stairs to my craft room...and it hit me...so here it is:

Supplies:  Chipboard Base - Maya Road; Snowflakes - Maya Road; Paint - Distress Crackle Picket Fence, Pewter; Apple Barrel Glossy Acrylic paint; Bling - (on the snowflakes) Twinklets Diamond Dust; Letters - Grungeboard; Ink - Distress Ink Broken China; Brad and Ribbon unknown

A twisted tale...

...seriously...I'm posting tonight to show you the latest fab fun over at Simply Scrapping...but at the same time...I have so many other things on my mind...so my latest and then the tale..
this week's twist over at Simply Scrapping is buttons...now normally I am NOT a button kinda gal...but...somehow it just worked (IMHO) with this LO!  Here it is:

and before I get to the rest of what is on my mind...here are the supplies:
Paper: My Mind's Eye; Stamps: CTMH; Ink: CTMH, Distress Inks; Bling: Prima: Title: American Crafts Thickers; Stickles: Rock Candy Distress Stickles; Buttons...well...no clue...honestly!!!

and now the rest of the story...

Life here in the Columbia burbs has been...hectic and strange...that which keeps us (me and my hubby) employed also provides non-stop weirdness...anyways...

i was having a fantastic conversation with my sister today (i have two...i'm the oldest...was talking to the middle one)...and all of a sudden...i knew...what i wanted for christmas (and my anniversary and my birthday...and well...the gift that keeps on giving...).  My dear hubby and i do not usually buy each other christmas or birthday or anniversary gifts for each other...we are fortunate enough that if either of us actually wants something...we can usually just go ahead and purchase it...so this time of year is usually a mess...we try our darndest to find something for the other...as a surprise...and we usually fail...while still getting a fab gift...but this year...i KNEW (well...as of today) what i wanted...the gift that keeps on giving...so i went and (about 30 mins ago) printed out a page off the net of what i truly wanted...but would never spend the money myself for...and handed it to him and said "this is what i want for christmas, for my birthday, for our anniversary"...now to see if he actually realizes it!  LOL!  I will not say what it is...for fear of jinxing it...but in my heart...oh heck yeah it's what i want!!!!!!!!!  would i be disappointed if i didn't get it...maybe a little...but somehow...if he does come through...he's earned more bonus points than he could ever imagine!!!!!!!!!   just don't tell him that part....

Ahhhh...December

and again I have missed out on so many opportunities to post...let's just say it's been crazy busy wild around my house (mostly because of work)...not much to say beyond that! 

I had a great November, a lovely visit with friends the weekend before Thanksgiving...then a fantastic weekend with my Mom for Turkey day...

and now it's December...and not much to say beyond that!  LOL! 

it's been awhile since I really crafted anything...so I'm trying to get my tail in gear and get some projects finished up for Christmas gifts...

hope to post some stuff soon!

Dear Terry O,

I am posting this publicly so that all of the blogosphere can see it and know...I am so sorry!  I held the blog candy in October, and only just today sent your candy to you.  Even after your incredibly polite reminders.  I cannot say I'm sorry enough.  I hate to dissappoint anyone, and I could offer a wealth of excuses, but excuses don't cut it right now.  Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans...I'll leave it at that.  I hope you accept my apology and please know that this is NOT like me at all!  For you and everyone reading...here is the Delivery Confirmation Number of your package:
0309 0330 0000 4778 9858
I threw in some additional little goodies as my way of apologizing.  I hope you enjoy them all!

Lesley