Holy Pinched Nerve batman

I have been in pain since Sunday night. I dont know what I did it just hurt. I couldnt turn my head to the left at all. Sleeping was horrid. Anytime Id move Id wake up from the pain. I was actually more comfy sitting in the recliner with my shoulder propped up than in my bed.

Good news is after 2 trips to the chiropractor it feels much better. It still hurts and work tomorrow is not going to be easy, but I think I will survive. I have muscle relaxers but they are EVIL and I hate taking them.

Having the extra time off helped me get my scraproom in order. I bought some new storage and moved some things around (my room is so small) Im almost done with everything but the paper. (and I am a paper whore)

The layout above is my last official ((sob)) layout for Allyscraps. It uses the Fancy Pants holly jolly line. I cant belive my term is over in 2 weeks. It seriously flew by. Allyscraps is such a fantastic store to work for. Im so going to miss it. I'll probably scrap a few more layouts for them (I still have lots of my kit left) but this is my last official one. That makes me sad.

More challenges

I love how some songs are so catchy that you can hear them once and find them dancing thru your brain. Last week we went to see Sweeny Todd and for some reason the songs stuck with me. I hope they have a soundtrack. I already know I need the Juno soundtrack, might as well pick them both up at once.

I have really been loving challenges lately. They can so help when the mojo is just not there. This layout is actually for 2. The theme was inspired by the Scrappin the Music #20 Blessed by Martina McBride. The paint was inspired by a challenge at Tallyscrapper to paint at least 40% of your layout. Its a sloppy mess, but its mine :) I accidentally ripped the L off and liked how it looked so I didnt glue it back on!

I also finished this layout for Allyscraps using the Owl pals line from Sassafras Lass. Since Ive owl'd it up before I used it in a non-Owlie fashion.

My grandmas ring is very special to me. She died right before I turned 12. She had lung cancer. One night she went thru her jewelry piece by piece and listed who she wanted to have what. This is the ring she left to me. I wear it on special occasions so I can take her with me. I love the big pearl. Its so pretty and funky.

The lace chipboard circle is handmade. I used a piece of an old lace shirt to cover the circle. The rest of the lace is vintage from The Embellishment Studio (as are the buttons)

The old couple in the theater

The other night we went to see the movie Juno. It was completely adorable and heart warming. I loved it. It was witty, funny and full of charm. My husband claims is a chick flick disguised as a comedy. I think it was nice to see a smart comedy.

I did however go see it at the 7:30 show. Since the schedule I work makes me somewhat nocturnal I rarely go to a show at that time.

The theater was filled with children. Popcorn throwing, joking, commentating, loud talking children. (or me 15 years ago) They made me laugh harder. Except for one part. The part that made me realize I was now old to them.

At one part in the movie Jason Bateman kisses a girl. When this happens every little girl in the theater screams ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww. (and someone even yelled "he's old")

Um... hello?? Jason Bateman is seriously CUTE! How do they not see that? Okay he isnt exactly at his hottest in this movie but he is a kissable guy people. and he is MY husbands age. He is so NOT old! Im still not used to him being the dad in Arrested developement (which I really miss)

Im so excited to have today off to play. Queen Kat designs sent us gals at Caardvarks the CUTEST stamps to use for next months Lovefest. I cant wait to ink them all up.

Here are a few layouts I made for challenges over at tallyscrapper.

Challenge Time!

I love a good scrappy Sunday. Today I got to scrap and watch football. My favorite kinda Sunday. Unfortunately I was rooting for Green Bay & San Diego (a whales vagi...)

I wandered over to ScrapMojo and played along to their newest challenge. I trash dig alot so this was a fun challenge for me. I used some old 50/50 tickets (shoved in my purse instead of thrown when I lost) A tulle circle (which was around a baby shower favor) and those cute little Yes/Maybe tabs from Lucky Magazine.

The darling little crown stamp is from Queen Kat designs.

The photo is of my husband pretending he is Gerhard Reinke of the short lived, but oh so funny show Wanderlust. It was a travel show spoof that was on back in 2003. We discovered it on reruns a few years later. We taped most of that (2005) trip with a fake German accent and have several thousand "Ouch" My ANKLE moments.

The next Caardvarks challenge is sponsored by Heart in Hand Scraps. They are generously donating a fabulous prize to the winner of the kick ass BLUE MOON challenge. Here are my cards for the challenge. The last one sucks, but I was trying to be creative... lol

I know a secret....

I know a little secret... and it has nothing to do with this layout about me making pie :) But it does pack a BIG BITE.

In honor of the brand NEW site. More than Scrapbooking is having its first EVER 24 hour crop-a-polozza! The crop starts 5pm (mst) Friday Feb. 1st and runs until 5pm Saturday Feb 2nd.

So come on by and SINK YOUR TEETH into the brand new message board. It has so many cool features including My Studio (a myspace type program for scrappers) The design team is working hard on multiple challenges, games and technique tutorials to keep you inspired long after the crop is done. Plus there are LOTS of prizes.

The owner Lori will kill me if I tell you what the grand prize is, but I will tell you IT'S BIG and IT BITES and with it you'll definately be SET when you get it. ;) **hint hint**

Stop on by and play with us for the crop or stop by a register now and be a part of it from the beginning!

Fun with thickers

I am a thicker addict. Im serious. I just cant get enough and I rarely make anything thickerless. The other day I was playing with some plain white chipboard thickers and I had an idea. I got out my markers and I turned those white thickers into this....




Basically all I did was outline the letters with a black American Crafts slick writer then I scribbled with my bright sharpies. It could be a little neater, but I like things kinda messy. I felt like a genious. Im sure Im not the first person to think of this but I love the way it looks. I know Im gonna wanna do it alot. I guess Id better buy more white thickers.

Here is the layout I created for Allyscraps with the new Junkitz destinations line. Imagine how boring it would look with plain white thickers. Kahunaville is a fun little tiki bar restraunt inside Treasure Island. (more Vegas baby)

As for the wedding, the weather was beautiful and so was the wedding. It was in a gorgeous state park in FL. My brother was so happy and I love his new wife to pieces. It was SO warm. This Ohio gal was thrilled to be swimming at midnight. I'll have layouts to come to show you all about it.

Oh and since Im outlining thickers.... here's a little peek for the Jan 20th Caardvarks challenge.

When it rains, it pours

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

That is the sound of me screaming to get the stress out. I cant wait til next week when there is nothing going on.

Monday evening after the crazy mess of the pitiful Ohio State game I came home to get my stuff all finished for the wedding. I had just bought 2 strapless bras and was trying them on with my dress to see which would hold my girls in best.

That is when my zipper decided to have a mind of its own. The flimsy little thing pulls away from the dress because the teeth were crooked. Worse I couldnt get the dress off. Then I try to pull off the bustier to see if that would help and it got stuck in my hair. So after 4 minutes of untangling my hair I realize my dress is really stuck. Finally after 10 minutes of fiddling (including my husband getting the pliers out) I get the damned thing off.

Of course there now is the horror that my dress needs a new zipper and I have to leave for the airport in 2 days. So now Im sobbing, panic'd that I cant get it fixed in time. I was supposed to drive it to my brother Tues. afternoon so I didnt have to carry it on the airplane. Now I didnt even have a dress I could wear.

I got up early on Tuesday and proceeded to run around looking for someone ANYONE who can do a new zipper in 2 days. Alot of people just looked at me like I was nuts... and bridal shops wont touch it if you didnt buy it there. (she had us order them online) Finally I found someone who would take it. She didnt have the right zipper. I told her ANY zipper at this point would work. I was out of time

Im supposed to pick it up in an hour. *fingers crossed* it tooks okay. I so want this dress drama to be out of the way!

Onto some happy scrappy stuff. Here is a matching card/layout I made for a crop challenge at AllyScraps. The little guy is my sweet nephew Tyler.

A crazy week

It is only week til my brother Matthew gets married. 1 week! Oh lordy there is lots to do. I have to make sure bridesmaids dress is ready to roll (and I need something to hold my girls up in that strapless dress that doesnt involve the duct tape I used when in college.... owie) I have to take my dress to him on Tuesday before he starts driving so I dont have to take it on the plane (he's getting married in Florida) Probably should go tanning a few times so Im not the pastiest white girl alive next to all those Florida gals.

Work will be crazy with the National Championship on Monday. I dont even want to think about it yet. Monday is my normal day off, but I have to work for this. Its alot of running but not alot of money. Id rather be slow.

This will probably be the hardest week for my LOAD layouts. I did manage to get the 3rd and the 4th done. #4 is with my January More than Scrapbooking kit I was assigned cards not layouts this month, but I couldnt help myself. Its so pretty



Caardvarks went up on the 1st instead of today, so if you havent been there yet you NEED to check out the exclusive Becky Fleck cardmap and take a look at the stunning cards the design team made. I love how we can all use one sketch and have the cards be soo different! Of course I had to funk mine all up. I so love the owlies


Time for work now *grumble* Here's hoping its a good one. xoxo

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I cant believe its 2008. Its almost beyond my comprehension. 2008... The year that I turn 30. The year I start thinking about having babies. :) :)
2007 went out quietly for me. No big party like I usually have. It was very odd to not be cooking and cleaning all day and drinking and eating all night. I was actually sober at midnight this year. Then for some reason I got really bummed. I fixed it by making Matt play the Simpsons LIFE game at 3 in the morning. He beat the pants off me.

Ive decided to do the Big Picture Scrapbooking 31 layouts for 31 days of January challenge. Its going to be super tough! I usually dont get to scrap everyday anymore. Life gets in the way (stupid life) I did get day 1 and day 2 finished. Both of them are from Vegas


2 down, 29 to go :)

I also got to play with the oh so romantic kit from More than Scrapbooking. It features beautiful papers from bo bunny and CI and a love board book. Here are some mini valentine cards I made with the kit.

She's baaaaaaaaaaack!

Vegas was so completely awesome! I had sooooo much fun. Usually we head for relaxation on our vacations and Vegas was anything but! I swear we walked 10 miles a day up and down that strip. We walked so much I had to buy new shoes (oh the torture, right?) I actually bought 3 pairs of shoes. (hey a girl has to splurge on vacation)

I bought a pair of warm & snuggly Ugg Ultra tall boots, a darling pair of Guess? sneakers and some crocs (on a side note, yes I always said Crocs were ugly and SWORE Id never have a pair. I'll admit. I was wrong... they are super comfortable..... but yes, still ugly...so very ugly)

Ive already started on the Vegas layouts... and there will be MORE to come. This one above is for Allyscraps and features the spooky Salem line from Scenic Route.

And remember.... there is only ONE day til you need to check Caardvarks

She's cold!!!!

Sometimes I do things that make no sense at all. Ive been sitting in my scraproom freezing. Its cold tonight, probably in the 20s, and snowing great big flakes. Im shivering so much that I go put one of Matt's big fleece pullovers (that smell like him.... mmmm) overtop of my sweater and turn on the fireplace in the living room. At that point something makes me just go get a fudgcicle.

Im freezing! Why on Earth would I want to eat something cold. I get the skinny cow kind. They are made with skim milk and still sooo good. I should have had hot chocolate or something because now Im shaking. Stupid stupid me. :)
OKay I just looked up the Skinny cow website to link it and they have stuff about scrapbooking! How cool is that!(yes I am a dork)

I got to play with some Owl pals. I just love little owlies and this SFL paper is just the cutest! I made this card and this funky mood journal. Fiskteer Sara shared this cool Heidi Grace challenge with me. Mine is a spiral 6x8. The tabs say "So happy", "So sad", "So in love", "So crazy" & "So bitchy". Very much me. :)

Only 4 more sleeps til VEGAS!! Now what should I pack?

She cant sleep

Well my love has been gone for 1 day and already I cant sleep without him. Its almost 4am and Im back up. Its cold and lonely in my bedroom and its way to late to start scrapping....So here I sit, staring blankly into the computer fiddling with my blog template. (I finally upgraded...imagine that and all it took was my husband going to Vegas)

I so should have gone out with the girls from work tonight. Id be passed out with margarita right about now. I made myself come home and finish my design team projects instead. I started packing a little too. 5 days til Vegas, baby!! whoo hoo!!

Here are 2 Luxelicious layouts.



The first one is for Allyscraps. It uses the gorgeous Pashmina line. The 2nd uses vibrant Bustier for a Color contest.

Oh and all you Caardvarks fans. Keep an eye out for a special announcement... coming soon!!

She does laundry all day

I dont usually hate laundry as much as I do today. Last week I cleaned our shared walk in closet. I just felt the need to purge(and made a gigantic pile for charity) I always find things on the floor, or that have a bit of dust on them and need re-washing. Of course this coupled with the fact that my hubs leaves for Vegas tomorrow (and has yet to pack) means I have been in there ALL DAY. I swear I smell like Snuggle and Tide and my hands are raw from handwashing.

Doing laundry makes me think of this layout. I dont know if Ive posted it here or not, and Im too lazy to go look. (its from last July)

Have you been to Caardvarks lately? If not you must check it out. This past week we have been debuting some of the fabulous cardmaps by Becky Fleck. This is my card for Sketch 1. There are 6 more fabulous sketches with examples on the Varks blog. I also posted a little challenge at tallyscrapper to use these sketches to create fabulous cards.

I leave for Vegas in 1 week!!! Im so excited. The next 6 days will be rough. Im working everyday (picked up extra shifts for more $$ before I go) and Matt will be gone. I havent spent that much time away from him since before we were married. Its going to be harder to go to sleep at night. :(

She works...

I worked today. Yes I worked on a Sunday. I feel almost blasphemous even typing that. My days were already screwy with thanksgiving and now I really dont know what day it is! I get all weird if Im off my normal schedule. Im crazy like that :) I did get a chance to scrap a bit today (which is fantastic because I was feeling so so blue and now I feel great) It was all dt work, but it was still loads of fun!
We have something special going on at caardvarks the beginning of december. Something extra special that lasts more than a day and has me making cards like a madwoman. Make sure you watch the site for details.

I also finished my projects for the so very cool December More than scrapbooking kit. It actually comes with this rockin American Crafts d-ring album. The AC Metropolitian papers are very modern and would be perfect for those retro pics (or your New Years night on the town pages.) It was a fun kit to work with. I even made a few cards for varks ;)

CAN YOU BELIEVE ITS LESS THAN A MONTH TIL CHRISTMAS! Holy Crap! I need to get shopping now so Im done before I leave for Vegas in 2 and a 1/2 weeks. Whoo hoo!

She is stressed

Thanksgiving is so stressful for me. I end up in the car half of the day as Im shoved from one place to another (both of our parents are divorced so we go 4-5 places a year) Im also shoved food at all those places. (dont they know I have a bridesmaids dress I have to fit into) I wish so hard that I could just stay home all day and cook a big dinner in my pjs while watching football and drinking mimosas. I wouldnt miss the parade or the family game time and I wouldnt have to deal with the drama.

Why is there always drama on holidays? Why cant we just get with those we love and have it be drama-free? Im praying for a drama free holiday season this year (it would be a first) I wish I didnt work tonight and the rest of the weekend so I could go spend time with the out of town fam. I have cousins coming back that I really want to see.

If you have extra time this weekend... there is a new Caardvarks challenge (rub me tender, rub me sweet) going on. Its sponsored once again by the fabulous kits at the Embellishment Studio. If you love vintage lace, buttons and pretty embellments you dont want to miss out on Susan's kits!

Here is my funky card with painters tape and glitz netz. Im loving the tinkering ink blur line. Its so funky and fun.

In case I have no time tomorrow..... HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)

She jams

I found this little lip dub several months ago somewhere in the blogosphere. I hadnt seen it again until tonight. Im so glad I uncovered it again. This was done after hours in an office somewhere. I wish I worked there.... totally my kinda people.

The song is Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger (which I absolutely LOVE)



It seriously reminds me of something my brother would conjour up.... and it makes me smile... so enjoy :)

She lives!!

Inhale... exhale...
Yep! Im breathing :)

I know I kinda disappeared for about a month there.... but October is always crazy busy for me. Work is insane, the auction is getting finalized and there is always family drama!

Good news is I had a birthday November 1st! 29.... only one year off from the dreaded 30. (I made this layout 1 week prior to my birthday) I had Matt take me out to the Japanese hibatchi place. After 2 orange creamscicle martinis, sushi and some hibatchi filet & shrimp I no longer cared how old I was. (*shhhhhh* I think Im actually looking forward to my 30s, but dont tell anyone and dont make fun of me next year when I cry) I still havent gotten any birthday presents though


Although I did go out and buy myself these super cute shoes :) and of course some scrapbook supplies.

I am thankful for November because it means my scraptime is back! Here's a few pages I made in the last few days. I seem to be in love with Scenic Route lately

Bow chicka bow wow

Ohhhhh Cap'n Jack Sparrow. I never thought a dirty man in makeup would turn me on, but you do it for me. Of course underneath you are the ever so hot Johnny Depp, so Im sure that helps :) I just love the Pirates of the Carribbean movies. Ive seen the original like 20 times.

Its almost Halloween time and we have been busily starting to plan the halloween party at work. Tomorrow I get to do my favorite part... the decorating. Im sure I'll come home with web in my hair and plastic spiders in my pockets. I need to remember to save a few for future scrappiness anyway.

Speaking of halloween, Ally scraps is having a Halloween project contest. Details are found here. Winners will recieve gift certificates to the store. (and they have some killer stuff including the rusty pickle pink pirate stuff used in this layout)

MTS October

Have you seen the October kit from More than Scrapbooking yet? The picture really doesnt do it justice. The Bohemia 2 papers are stunning and the the pretty bits of crochet, lace and firey fiber are the icing on the cake. Plus there is a cats eye ink AND paper bag album! And the big secret is.... (its under $25) Here is a list of all the goodies you get.

Yes I sound like a salesman. Yes I do design for the company(Obviously) Yes I suck at scanning layouts (hello crooked!) But this kit really is a fabulous deal and absolutely perfect for autumn. I used alpha stamps and the kit only for these creations.

Let me count the ways

Hambly, Oh Hambly How do I love thee... let me count the ways......

I was over all AllyScraps chatting away when I noticed that there was NEW Hambly in the store. Ohhh man am I excited! I seriously trying to wait a week(or 2) so I can ship it with my dt kit, but Im having serious problems with self control. I just want to put it in my cart and take it home. Is that so wrong? Doesnt a girl deserve some brand spanking new hambly? I think so.

Ive become addicted to the overlays lately. There are so many things you can do with them. You can cut them in pieces or trim what you'd like. They can be painted, inked, layered, stapled, sewn, used as backgrounds for clear pages, rubbed with alcohol inks, tucked under or over a photo, used as a journal block, stamped on with staz on, distressed, punched, and die cut. They are awesome!

Its also time for a new *insert cartoon horn noise* caardvarks challenge Check out the blog for the hilariously titled "Do these pants make my chips look big" challenge by our own Lesley This chippy here is my card for the challenge. I needed another excuse to use my Breakfest at Tiffany's stamp. I so love that movie... okay well anything Audrey Hepburn

Challenge day

Im still trying to get over a nasty cold, so today I decided to take it easy. I tried to not leave the house, but my husband insisted on making me go out for Chinese food (which was mighty good). I punished him by making him drop me at the lss for a half hour. He didnt mind one bit. I got some fun embellies

So I got home and scrapped the day away while my honey played playstation. Sometimes I just love knowing he is here and having fun. It was nice. Since I had extra scrappy time and couldnt print the pictures I need for dt work (I bought the wrong cartridge...DOH!) I decided to do a few challenges.

The first one I did was Color my World's 2nd challenge. I made this funky red and blue painty layout. I also used painters tape and a page out of a notebook

The second challenge I did was for the How Much is too Much? Its challenge 51 (10 elements, 10 goals) I think this one will be fun to look at in 10 years and see just how many actually hold true.

My mom is doing better. Thank you to those who prayed for her. She is relaxing and enjoying a special trip for her 10 year anniversary.

Mini Cards

We have a micro challenge going on over at Caardvarks this weekend! It is a challenge to make mini cards. I had a blast the other day making them. Not only are they fun, but they are very inexpensive. Mine are actually made with index cards(You know... the 3x5 kind that cost a quarter for 100.) and scraps of paper and embellies.

They can be used for so many things

*Tuck it in a coat pocket/briefcase for your love
*A child's lunchbox
*punch a hole and add ribbon for a cute bag tag
*Add to a bouquet of flowers
*Staple to a bag of goodies
*tape on top of a present

Here are my little cards. Checkout the caardvarks "Honey I Shrunk the Cards" gallery for more minis