Coming To You Live From Florida!

Hey Everyone!

First up, I'm so sorry, I don't have my card ready for today's Monday Throwdown. In my packing haste last week that one had to be missed.

Packing? Yup, we headed out for a little family vacation. This post comes to you live from sunny Captiva Florida! Man, it's beautiful here! We arrived Saturday. We left a gloomy, overcast, rainy Indiana for a gorgeous, sunny Florida! Ok...you know I love Indiana but life is really fun just hanging out on the beach all day! A girl could get used to this!

My boys are on a constant lizard chase....in between their dips in the pool and ocean. Here's a shot of Carter with one of the lizards that had the great misfortune of being 'caught'. It was a catch and release but I'm sure the thing didn't like it that much.

Sorry for the foggy image. The lense fogs the instant I walk outside. I didn't quite give it enough time to clear.

This is one of Evan's little friends.....

All together now....YUCK! How gross is this thing! I mean, he's really colorful but I am not a fan of crickets, grasshoppers, ....heck, bugs of any kind!

Last for now, a view from the deck. We are right on the ocean. It's truly beautiful! I absolutely love walking outside and hearing the waves hitting the shore. The boys are having a great time shelling and I'm just enjoying 'being' and playing with them. It's a great time!

Hope all is well with each of you. Have a wonderful one! I will post you in a bit...if blogger cooperates! My scheduled posts haven't been working as of late!....with a bit of J'belle.

Big Hugs!

A Winner!

This weeks Clean & Simple scrapbook challenge winner is Teresa from Inkfully Yours. Take a peek at her beautiful layout....

I love this wonderful winter page! The stamps are perfect for this! This has been another amazing week of samples! Thank goodness for random.org! I would never be able to pick a winner on my own!

Ok...one more little tidbit of info. I'm moving so slow this morning! Why, you ask...or maybe I will ask for you! Last night I attended my first ever crop at Archivers. How fun was that! Ok...a lesson in planning was learned as it's really hard to be surrounded by all of that product and be missing something of your own! I will pack so much better before the next time! I was so excited to have the opportunity to stamp (or scrap) with some really talented peeps!

Recognize those cute faces? That's Kimber and Julie! Holy smokes! I was surrounded by talent! It was such a fun night! Did I really stamp till 11! Ok...that happens at home all the time but I actually started at around 5! That's a long night of stamping! It was so much fun!

Ok...off to get the day started! I need to get my layout ready for tomorrows challenge. I am LOVING this sketch! ...and I promised the boys a little Mario Kart time today. So for now I am off to the races! I will post you all soon!

Sharing

Ok...so I feel like such a loser friend! I just uploaded all of my photos from the camera I keep in my purse....there is stuff on that one from six months ago! Yikes! But on this little camera is a picture of one of my FAVORITE scrappin' friends!

So...let me explain. About a year ago I wander into one of my local scrapbooking stores and inquire about teaching classes. Somehow in the conversation, Vicki, my now sweet friend!, asks if I have met another local scrapper, Kimber McGray. Well, we met online after that...and conversed through emails. She's just about the sweetest thing ever! A couple of weeks ago I went to her house to work...and I use the term loosely, although I really did finish two cards while I was there! Then one night I went to dinner with Kimber and some of her MOP friends...so much fun! Now I can officially say that we are friends IRL...because she is truly one of the nicest people you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. ...and she's practically right around the block! How cool is that!



Here's a photo of us at dinner.....it's really a great thing to carry a camera in your purse! Of course it really helps to upload the pictures every now and then!

Here's a very cool tidbit of information about the oooohhhhh so talented Kimber...she has her very own scrapbooking book! Seriously! You can find out more information on her blog. I'm anxiously awaiting this one! I can't wait to have my own copy! Hmmm....think she will sign it? ;)

Ok...back to cleaning....how did my Sunday night turn into this! ;) At least part of that was 'cleaning' out the camera! I'm so glad that I got to share this with all of you! :)

A Day At The Races

Tag. I'm it! My sweet friend Carole tagged me. I adore her! She's my soul sister. Seriously....I think we were separated at birth! Anyhoo....the mission, post the 6th picture in the 6th folder on your computer. This is kismet! Today is my Carter's (Carole has a Carter also!) birthday and it just so happens that the 6th picture in the 6th folder is of him!

I did crop some of the other kiddos out of the picture since I'm not quite sure if their moms would want me posting it but this is it! This was taken at his pre-school a couple of years back. The checkered vests were for the race day activities. They had these cardboard cars that they raced back and forth in. OMHeck! It was such a riot! They had so much fun! Today he is 7. Where does the time go! It really does fly, doesn't it!?

Now I need to tag 6 others.....so I tag....

Michelle

Beate

Cambria

Julie

Charmaine

Brookie

;) I'm off to leave her a comment and to go pick up the cake.

The Good, The Bad, And The...No Way She Worked Like That!

I'm finally organized! Woohoo! Ok...that's a little bit of an exaggeration. My space is cleaned. Everything has a home. But I'm sure over the next few weeks I will figure out new ways to keep things straight.

I will say that I truly enjoy seeing other peoples stamping spaces. I love seeing how you guys work and how you store things. I've seen some really amazing ideas, some of which I have utilized with my new space. So thank you so much for sharing! :)

First up I want to share the before. My before is not for the faint at heart. I had a mish-mash of furniture and not a lot of storage room so things were everywhere! Seriously...EVERYWHERE! I would often wonder how I could get anything done! Well, for sure how I could find anything but all of my 'piles' had order. Wow. That's going to shock you in a second! ;)

Take a peek at the before.....

The big 'L' desk is my main workspace that I kept. I really love this desk. I picked it up a couple of years ago at a used office furniture store. It was such a good deal and is super sturdy and really roomy! Of course before it was always covered with stuff! I would have to move things to have a work space.

The brown desk in the background was a free find. By that I mean that my hubby's office got new furniture and he was given this one to take home. Can't beat free! I used to keep my punches in the top middle drawer...the one that is made to hold a keyboard. That was great except that they would always fall out of the back of the drawer. A couple of them broke because of that. I also kept a big rubbermaid container with my 12X12 designer paper in it...that's sitting in the opening of the desk.

There are also some of those modular cubes that I had been collecting from Michaels with my coupons. On top of those I have this giant marker holder that I picked up from a LSS that was going out of business for $1! How cool is that! This I kept and is now hiding behind a cabinet...but it houses my copics.

One more....I had a paper holder from Office Max that housed my card stock. Well, and you can't miss the floor! It was always covered with stuff! I would pull out all of the boxes of stuff when I was working. Ribbon, embelli's....all of that stuff....

And I had this giant metal cabinet that housed some stuff....and I would pull out a card table to work with as well.......

The trouble is, I stamp every day! EVERY day! So I really never put anything away. The kids would get into stuff. It was always a mess! Seriously, my stamping stuff had taken over the basement!

Now the after........

....and keep in mind....I am working in this space. I did clean the desk after I stamped last so it's not a shot of 'in progress'....but cleaning the desk was just a matter of throwing the paper pieces in the trash and putting my stamps back!

I kept both of the file cabinets that I picked up from the used office furniture store. One is sitting under my printer and houses things like my heat gun and crop-a-dile. The other sits under my Sizzix and Cuttlebug and houses the plates and dies for those.

The cabinets. Holy heck, I am so excited to finally have a place for everything!

Everything now has a home. That is such a great feeling. ...and finally Hayden isn't pulling everything out! ...and I am no longer having to have the furniture cleaned because he's gotten his hands on a marker! Yikes! I have painted over marker and cleaned the furniture a couple of times!

This is the ribbon storage. I have seen so many of you use the jars for your ribbon scraps. I LOVE this! The containers are Making Memories. I have been collecting them for a while now for storing other things. I used the smaller containers for my buttons....

This is truly my favorite part of the whole thing! I LOVE ribbon and buttons and just love the clean look of it now!

I also have slat board in between the cabinets. I bought some little hooks from a local hardware store to hold my punches.....

One last thing...a filing drawer now holds my stickers and other embelli's that come on the long sheets. I have them in hanging files now so it makes it soooo much easier to find everything....

That's it for now. I'm still marveling over the stark contrast. It's like night and day. ;) See why it took so long! First we had to disenfect....then there was the whole clean up..... lol. I will say that is nice not to have to fish buttons out of my sons mouth...or to step on a brad with my bare feet....or to find a gem stuck to my backside....(yeah...that has happened to me!)

Hope you all have a great day! I will be back soon! Hugs! :)

Happy Sunday!

Phew! I cannot believe the whirlwind week I've had! Between school stuff, house stuff, stamping stuff....it's been quite the crazy week!

First up....this is my last month as a dirty girl! I move to the alumni section after this. Awww.... I have had so much fun creating for Splitcoast! It has been such an honor and the time really flew by! Be sure and check out everyones creations...you won't be disappointed! Everything is BEAUTIFUL!

Second...my cabinets were installed! Woohoo! :) I promise to share some pictures once I get organized. They installed on Friday but I haven't had a chance to stop and put anything away! Everything is still spread out on the basement floor!

I will share one little photo. I went downstairs at one point Friday to see if the guys needed anything to drink and the look that one of them gave me! He was crouched and leaning against the wall trying to screw something into one of the cabinets. I was thinking 'man, it's just water'! Then he says 'I think I just went through the wall'.

Seriously! He did! lol! OMHeck! Ok...good thing he wasn't hurt because seriously I couldn't stop laughing! His face was a riot! Poor guy! It's a good thing I laughed! He was soooooo worried I would be mad. It stinks...but it's all good....or will be once the drywall guy comes next week. Anyhow...take a peek....



Now I am off to finish my coffee....yeah...at nearly 11! It's been a crazy morning as well! ;) I hope you are all doing well. I am off to organize!

Post you soon! :)

Fireworks & A Thanksgiving Invite...

Well, if your are still reading after being bombarded with all of my black and orange ribbon cards! ;) I thought I would share a few of the fireworks from last night and a little Thanksgiving invite I made a while back.

First the fireworks....

How fun! This was actually the perfect way to end quite a crazy day! We had an 8AM game then it off to grab a quick breakfast/brunch. Hayden needed a nap...that should have been the down time but there was a ton to catch up on around the house...then pickup Evan's uniform, grocery....Evan's game...and it only felt like it was 500 degrees outside!....then to a little carnival of sorts....to getting dinner....bed for Hayden....and I can't even believe he slept through the fireworks! We could see all of this from our front porch! It was amazing! ...and REALLY LOUD!

Ok...one card for now. I am going to finish up around the house after this and then I have to get some stamping done! Hopefully the day works in my favor!

That's it for me for a bit this morning. I will post you all soon! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Quick Share!

And by quick...I mean quick! I am so excited and wanted to share another baseball update! Evan's team won tonight! Not only did they win but they beat the only team to beat them...3 times no less!...this whole season! Now on to the next game! They will have a game tomorrow and if they win the will turn around and play another ...seems a bit extreme for 2nd graders but...you know...I'm the mom!

Anyway! Thanks for letting me share! I am off to finish another card or two for tomorrows Unity release! What a happy day!

I will post you all soon! ;)

Hey!

Hey all you stampers out there! I'm so sorry but tonight I have no projects to share. Insert sad face here....

We've had the craziest of crazy busy days today! Three! Yup that's right! Three baseball games! I've been back and forth to the ballpark and store for more drinks and snacks and dinner and lunch and ....well you name it! On the plus side! Although Evan's team lost the first game...it's a double elimination tourny so there's still hope! ...his second game was a winner! AND!!! I was actually able to get a shot of him hitting a double! How excited was I! Of course the first hit was a foul and he was a little worried because the ball was headed towards me! I of course did not notice as I was too busy trying to get a good picture! Awwww!

Here's a shot of him running off of home plate after his big hit!....

How exciting! Yup, proud mom alert!

Well, that's about it for me! Now you guys know why I haven't stamped all day! Yesterday was much of the same. I have a few things sitting on my desk that I cannot wait to share! They will have to keep a bit though.

Thanks for indulging this proud mom! I am off to tuck my little slugger in!

Have a great night! :)